Nixie the Dragon: Season 2
by C-Alrich
Summary: Once again, this is a run through of Teen Wolf. This time Season 2, and this time with my character Nixie thrown into the mix. Danger, action, excitement, and humor all around. Rated M, as always, for language, other certain scenes, and my personal paranoia. Enjoy! :)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

I'm back guys! Okay, a few things before we get into Teen Wolf Season 2. First of all, thank you to everyone who reads these stories. And thank you to those who have encouraged me to continue writing more.

Second, I feel I should warn you. And based on the word count that I've been seeing as I've been typing up this series... this season is probably going to be the longest I've written yet out of all the ones I've done so far. And considering Season 2 is my least favorite, I was personally surprised by that. (I obviously love all of teen wolf, but if I had to pick a least favorite season... Season 2 would be it).

Thirdly, and I think this is the last warning I have for now... as you can tell by the dates, this is November. Meaning Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years are all coming upon us very soon. So, just as a heads up for you guys, after I've finished posting for Season 2, I probably won't even get around to working on putting Nixie into Season 3, until at least after the holiday season. So yeah, just to throw that out there for you guys.

As always, I'm sorry for the interruption. Just trying to keep you guys informed. Be sure to let me know what you think of Nixie in Teen Wolf Season 2. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1: Episode 2x1

Scott grins as he rolls into the bedroom window as easily as if he'd been doing it all his life, rather than just the last few weeks or so. Walking up to Alison, he asks, "How much time do we have?" Alison grins back and says, "They'll be gone an hour."

But they both pause their make-out session when Nixie says from near the closet, "Okay, stop. Guys, we've been through this. The kissing I can handle. But when you start to undress Scott, I need to be out of the room already. Geez. Give me a minute at least. He just got here."

Nixie grins at both of them though, and then hugs Scott when he dashes over to see her. Sighing against her, he says, "Thanks for keeping a lookout." "Yeah, well, just remember that tomorrow I am unavailable. I'm on Lydia duty then." "Got it."

She steps out of the room at that, opting for going to the bathroom for a minute before taking up a position in the hall so she can keep watch.

And yes… maybe taking up a post like a sentry in the hall was a bit over the top for her guard duty… but she was still very pissed at Chris. Not enough to stop calling him Chris again. She knows that he was just making a point… very firmly… in his own way.

But still… holding a gun to Scott at point-blank range? Throwing him down on the hood of the car? Making Alison sob because she had to promise to never see Scott again? It was all too much for Nixie's liking. So she was taking her position as lookout even more seriously.

She was sitting there near the railing in the hall, far enough away so she couldn't hear into Alison's room, but close enough to warn them without alerting whoever was coming that she was in on their secret rendezvous. That's when she heard the front door open, and bolted to her feet and knocked on the door twice before counting to five and walking in.

The first time she'd done that, Scott had just barely managed to pull his boxers and jeans back on. Thank God. Nixie had seen him in boxers before, but anything less than that would be way too much for her eyes to see.

Now that they were accustomed to the system Nixie had, Scott was decent enough to not have Nixie worried when she came into the room. He was still scrambling for the rest of his clothes, but she knew he'd be fine.

He was out the window and hiding on the roof a full five seconds before Alison's mom came in.

Whenever Nixie was there and Chris came to check on them, there was less interrogation and suspicion. Chris, even though he knew Scott was 'her boy', felt that there wasn't a way Scott could be 'seeing' his daughter while Nixie was also in the room.

Victoria, however, if possible, grew even more suspicious. Smart woman. She never objected to Nixie's presence. Not after the way Chris had explained that Nixie went about trying to protect Alison from Peter that night. But Victoria put more stock into the whole 'Scott was Nixie's boy' idea than Chris did.

Again… smart woman.

Nixie doesn't speak though as Victoria surveys the room. Alison, looks up at her from the book she was reading, and then says, "If you don't trust me enough to have a lock on the door, the least you could do is knock."

Tilting her head, Victoria asks, "Did I interrupt something?" Alison pauses a second, and then says smoothly, "Just my studying. My life, my happiness. Will to live." Nixie raises an eyebrow at her and asks, "All that from the lack of a lock on the door? Damn. I'm in serious trouble then. I'm pretty sure my lock is broken."

Alison grins at her a little, some of her tension easing. Victoria then says, "I picked up your dress for the funeral tomorrow." Alison nods and says, "You can just put it on my desk." But at Victoria's suspicious look, Nixie hops up off the bed and says, "Come on Alison. Even I know dresses that come in fancy bags to keep them clean need to be hung up… like immediately. And I think I own maybe two dresses total. Well… not counting the ones that Lydia keeps at her house for me to wear whenever she thinks she can convince me."

She takes the dress from Victoria and moves to the closet. And she knows Victoria is still behind her, watching closely, so Nixie makes a show of shoving several of Alison's already hanging clothes aside, proving that no one is hiding in the closet.

After closing the doors again, she turns back to Alison, who asks her mom, "Can I go back to studying now? Or would you like to do a full body cavity search?" Victoria simply moves over to the window, shoving her head outside while Alison calls to her.

As the window is slammed shut afterwards, Victoria turns back to the room and asks, "What exactly are you studying for that is so urgent?" And that… Alison doesn't know. But Nixie does. So she looks up and says, "History. World War II era. Which I suppose is fascinating to some, but has been putting me to sleep for the past hour."

Rubbing at her eyes tiredly, she then snaps to attention again and says, "Oh, and I just remembered, I'm supposed to take notes to Lydia. Alison… you think you got this good enough without me?" Alison nods with a smile and says, "Yeah. If I don't get an A, it's on me, not you." "I reserve the right to blame myself anyway." "Of course you do."

Smiling, Nixie turns to Victoria and says, "Thanks for letting me hang out here again." And Victoria finally smiles a little, which is honestly the most Nixie has come to expect to get out of the woman, and then says, "You're welcome anytime Nixie."

Because even if Victoria was suspicious of Nixie helping Scott and Alison out, she did mean that. Nixie was, literally to a fault, the most loyal individual they'd come across in a long time. And Nixie had chosen their daughter to be friends with. So seriously… who would say no to that?

* * *

At the hospital, when Nixie walks into the room, Lydia is this close to wringing her dad's neck. Or you know… coming close to it. She's annoyed as hell; let's put it that way.

Coming up beside her as Lydia says, "Maybe if I was four, and still taking bubble baths," Nixie smirks and adds, "With pink rubber duckies to boot."

Lydia spins to see her and is in her arms a second later.

Ever since the accident had happened, Lydia had felt slightly off kilter. Which, you know, being bitten by a werewolf tends to do to a person. And while Lydia might not remember much else about that night, or what exactly Peter had done to her… Lydia did remember one thing.

She remembered Nixie finding her. She remembered Nixie trying to wake her up, and promising to warm her up and to fix her and to keep her safe.

When Lydia had woken up for the first time after the accident, after two nights of complete unconsciousness, Natalie had been in the room and panicked. Because Lydia screamed in terror, curled into a ball, and refused outright to be touched by anyone, or to even speak to anyone. Not even Stiles, who Lydia obviously knew would never hurt her, could come anywhere near her.

Stiles was the one who suggested calling Nixie, and though Lydia's father didn't see what good it could possibly do, Natalie told Stiles to go ahead and do it.

The change was instantaneous. As soon as Nixie came into the room, at a sprint from having run down the halls to get here as fast as possible, Lydia's head lifted up and her arms slumped and dropped from around her legs. Fresh tears started falling down her cheeks, and at that point, it probably wouldn't have mattered if Lydia had wanted Nixie to come closer or not. Nixie closed the distance as fast as possible, and held Lydia in her arms as tightly as she could without hurting her.

When Lydia finally had spoken, she simply asked Nixie, "Is it over? Are we safe?" "We're safe Lydia. You're safe. Everything is going to be okay. I promise." And even though the question of what Lydia was supposed to be was still in the air, Nixie didn't doubt her statement. Lydia would be fine, or Nixie would beat the ever-living crap out of what was trying to hurt her.

And to this moment even, Nixie was still the only one that Lydia felt she could completely relax around. She couldn't explain it really. Nixie had always felt like a safe haven… a source of relief and comfort amidst the world that she tried so hard to blend into. But it was more so now. It was magnified in a way Lydia couldn't understand. All she knew was that she felt very different, and she felt like so many things were going to change around her soon.

And Nixie still felt like Nixie.

Hugging Lydia back, Nixie asks, "How are you feeling?" "I really want to get out of here." "And I want you out of here too. What do the doctor's say?" "They still want another day of observation." "Of course they do."

Leaning back, Lydia smiles when Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "Well, if you're not opposed, we can shimmy out the window. Stiles can get us out of here and to my place before they even know what happened?"

Laughing a little, Lydia then rolls her own eyes and glances at her dad before saying, "She's not serious. Relax." But Lydia laughs again when Nixie says, "Good cover. Soon as he's gone we'll break for it."

Nixie smiles at her friend, and then says, "I brought the notes, and the work you've missed. And I will also be here tomorrow, at your disposal, should you need my amazing expertise while trying to catch up. And if you don't need it… well, I'm not that bad too look at, so I'll be here for that."

When Lydia does stop laughing, she hugs Nixie again before heading into the shower to clean up. Stepping back into the hall, Nixie nudges the sleeping Stiles, who had just informed one of the nurses emptying a trash can, "You're dirty." Scrambling awake, Stiles asks, "What happened? Did she turn into something? Is Scott in trouble? Did Derek finally call you?"

Nixie rolls her eyes while grinning and says, "No to everything. Nothing's happened. Nothing new anyway. Lydia's taking a shower, and then maybe we can go inside and play a game of chess before she gets to work on the school stuff she's missed." "Oh. Great!"

Taking the seat next to him, Nixie sighs before looking him over and asking, "You really haven't left at all this whole time, have you?" "Nope." Chuckling at him, Nixie pulls out a clean shirt from her bag and says, "At least change into this." "Got it. Thanks." "No problem."

Of course, as she's closing her eyes for a moment, not even a full minute really… Stiles somehow manages to not only break the vending machine around the corner, but to pull it off the wall and onto its face, shattering the glass as it lands. Hurriedly rounding the corner, Nixie hisses at him, "What the hell?" "It wouldn't give me my snack!" "So the solution is to rip it off the wall and destroy all the snacks?!"

They stare at each other for a moment, and then Nixie grabs him and says, "Come on. Before someone comes and finds out it's you." "It's a vending machine. They can fix it." "And do you really want to find out if they can force you to contribute to that replacement?" He pauses and then says, "No." "Then stop it with the snacks. You know vending machines hate you. That's why I buy the snacks." "You were resting." "I shut my eyes, I was not resting. I'll sleep when I'm dead, and not before."

Stiles grins at her and says, "You certainly try." "I succeed most of the time too."

They both finally laugh, and though Melissa gives them both a look when she comes by later, having passed the vending machine on her way, no one else seems the wiser that it must've been one of them.

And that's when the scream comes from Lydia's room. And not even like a normal, surprised, you just saw a mouse run across the floor, type of scream.

Nixie can only think of one way to describe it. It's a scream of death. Like you know it's coming, and you're terrified of it.

While it takes Stiles a moment to get back on his feet, Nixie is already at the door, barging her way in, with Melissa, Lydia's dad, and Stiles not far behind. And not seeing Lydia in the main room, she hurries to the bathroom to try and find her. But Lydia isn't there either. The shower's still running… but there's no Lydia.

Stiles catches her arm, and when Nixie looks at him, she follows his gaze to the open window.

"Son of a bitch. I really hadn't been serious!"

* * *

When Noah arrives and talks to Melissa, he glances over to where Nixie is standing by the windows in the hall. She's leaning against them, staring out them, her eyes scanning every inch of the dark surroundings outside. She didn't care if she wasn't supposed to be able to see anything at this point in the day. Lydia was missing. She wasn't about to stop looking for her friend. Not even while Melissa had asked her to remain here so she could talk to Noah if they needed her to first.

Noah then asks, "Any other descriptors?" That's when Stiles emerges and says, "She's five-three, green eyes, fair-skinned, and her hair is actually strawberry blonde." "Is that right?"

"Yes."

All eyes turn to Nixie for a second when she answers Noah's question for Stiles. Then Noah grabs Stiles and pulls him over to where Nixie is standing. "What the hell are you still doing here?" Stiles blinks and says, "Um… providing moral support?" "To whom?"

And in answer to that one, Stiles glances over at Nixie, who has removed herself from staring out the window and is now pacing back and forth in front of them. Noah sighs and says, "Look, why don't both of you provide your asses back home? Nixie, you look like you haven't slept in a week."

When she doesn't respond to his comment, he says, "Hey!" Nixie jerks to look up at him, and then says, "Sorry. What?" "Go home. Rest. We'll find her."

He walks away at that, but Stiles turns back to Nixie and says, "So… you and I are on the same page right? We're not going home." "Hell will freeze over first." "Good to know. What's the plan?" "Call Scott."

Stiles tilts his head, and asks, "Why…" "I'm going to get the gown she was wearing. You get Scott and have him meet us here. He can track her if I can find her shirt. Tell him to hurry."

Sneaking back into the room isn't actually a problem. Noah has Lydia's dad and Melissa a little further down the hall, still asking questions. In the bathroom, Nixie finds the gown Lydia had been wearing before her shower, balls it up and prepares to walk out the door.

Well, sneaking in hadn't been hard. Sneaking out would be. Natalie and her ex-husband were now arguing about Lydia's safety, and Noah was trying to calm them down so he could get more information. So there wouldn't be any going out that way again.

But… well, if Lydia had managed to climb her way out of a window… Nixie sure as hell could. So she slipped through there and dropped to the ground outside, sprinting around to the other side of the hospital where Stiles' jeep was.

Scott was already there. Thank God. Tossing the gown to Stiles, she says, "Let me in the back." Scott scrambles out so she can climb in, and then takes the gown from Stiles and asks Nixie, "This is the one she was just wearing?" "Yeah."

Nodding, he looks back at her and says, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt her. Not again." Nixie nods and says, "You and me both." Stiles sighs and says, "Alright, just shove the thing in your face and let's find her."

But as Stiles cranks the jeep, he jumps in surprise when the headlights come on and Alison is shown standing right in front of them. "Wow!" Nixie, in spite of herself, chuckles and says, "Maybe she should wear a bell." "Maybe you all should. Why does everyone have to sneak up on me?" "Because it's easy?"

Glancing back at her, he says, "Sarcasm not appreciated." "Yeah, yeah. Love you too."

Alison faces the window on Scott's side and Scott asks, "What are you doing? Someone will see us." "I don't care. She is my best friend too, and we need to find her before they do." Scott nods and says, "I can find her before the cops can." Alison gives him a look and asks, "How about before my father does?"

Stiles jerks towards her and asks, "He knows?" "Yeah. I just saw him and three other guys leave my house in two SUVs." Scott huffs in aggravation and says, "Search party." Alison shakes her head and says, "It's more like a hunting party."

Scott huffs again, but then leans forward with a grunt as Nixie shoves the seat up so Alison can climb in behind him. "Get in. Now."

Alison hurriedly climbs in, and then Nixie says, "Stiles, drive. Scott, sniff. We need to find her."

Taking off down the road, Stiles then asks, "Alright, but if she's turning, would they actually kill her?" Alison runs a frustrated hand through her hair and says, "I don't know, they won't tell me anything. All they keep saying is, 'We'll talk after Kate's funeral, when the others get here'." Stiles glances at her and asks, "What others?" "I don't know! They won't tell me that either."

Stiles sighs and says, "Okay, your family has got some serious communication issues to work on." Nixie leans forward and says, "Right now, not the point. Scott! Are we going the right way?"

With his head stuck out the window, sniffing around very much like an actual dog, Scott then says, "Take the next right!"

Alison and Nixie both slam into the side of the jeep as Stiles cuts it hard. "Sorry guys!"

Alison, having landing on Nixie, leans back and glances down at her stomach worriedly. Nixie just shakes her head and says, "I'm fine. Focus on Lydia."

With Alison's help in the stitching and bandaging department, Nixie's wound had been healing incredibly well. There would always be a scar. That was unavoidable. But she didn't bleed every time she took a shower now, and though it was still tender, it didn't hurt every time it was touched anymore.

Still hurt like a bitch when Alison ended up thrown into her… but Nixie would live.

They drive and drive until Scott starts directing them down dirt roads, and then they can't take the jeep anymore. Scott still in the lead, they walk for about another two miles, when Nixie pauses and then sighs and says, "You've got to be kidding me."

The other three turn back to look at her, and Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "Look up at where we're headed."

To this point, the others had been looking down, or in the direct area around them, guided mostly by Scott sniffing in front of them. Now they all look up the hill to see that they're heading straight for Derek's old crumbling house. Stiles runs both hands through his hair for a moment in frustration, and then turns to Scott and asks, "She came here? You're sure?"

Scott stares at it forebodingly too, and then says, "This is where the scent leads."

Sighing, Nixie nods and then says, "Right… we'll we should probably get on up there. And be on the lookout for a large branch on the way." Scott raises an eyebrow at her, to which she explains, "If he has done anything to Lydia since she went missing, I'm going to hit him. Repeatedly. Hopefully into unconsciousness, though that part is still up for debate at this point."

As they start heading up the hill, Stiles sighs and asks, "Okay… so she came here apparently. But has Lydia ever been here before?" Alison shakes her head and says, "Not with me." Nixie shakes her head too, and then adds, "It definitely wouldn't be considered her scene."

Then Alison says, "Unless she came here on instinct? Like she was looking for Derek?" Nixie turns to look at her, and then to Scott when he adds, "You mean looking for an alpha." Alison nods and says, "Wolves need a pack right?"

Scott shakes his head defiantly and says, "Not all of them." Because Scott was a werewolf, and he didn't have a pack. At the very least, he could choose that much.

And to ease a bit of the worry she can see on his face, Nixie says, "Hey, now that's just rude. I, myself, think I'm more than qualified to be considered pack material." Scott grins at her and says, "I don't doubt that. But you aren't a wolf." "Minor detail. And who says I have to be a wolf to be in the pack? Who made that a rule? Where's the rule book? I demand to see it."

Scott grins again, and then they look to Alison who says, "Okay, point taken on the whole not needing an alpha thing. But if Lydia is a new werewolf, would she have been drawn to an alpha? I mean… is it an instinct to be part of a pack?"

Begrudgingly, Scott admits, "Yeah, we're stronger in packs." Alison nods and says, "Like strength in numbers." Scott sighs and says, "No. No, we're… we're literally stronger, faster, better in every way." Nixie holds up her hands, gesturing to herself, and says, "Which is exactly what I make you. See? Perfect pack material."

Alison grins at her too now, and then Nixie turns to Scott and asks, "But, for the sake of seriousness, let me ask. Does that apply to the alpha too?" Scott nods and says, "Yeah, it'll make Derek stronger too."

Stiles then calls from behind them, "Whoa. Hey, look at this." Nixie sees the trip wire from where she's standing with Scott. Alison moves to join Stiles to see if she can tell if it might be her dad's handiwork.

Back to Scott, Nixie asks, "How you feeling?" "Fine. It's not a full moon right now." "I know that. But in general, you feel in control?" "Yeah. Yeah, I feel great." "Good. Still got Lydia's scent?" "Yeah." "We still in the right place?" "For now. We should probably head up there soon to see where else it leads." "Right. So…"

Scott jumps in surprise and scrambles to try and catch her when Nixie's foot is suddenly jerked out from under her. Except Nixie doesn't actually fall down. Instead she ends up dangling a good three feet off the ground, upside down.

Huffing in aggravation, she says, "Stiles!" "Yeah Nix, I… Whoa!" Sighing, Nixie says, "Next time you see a trip wire… maybe don't trip it!" "Right. Noted. Shit, sorry. Um… how… let me… how are we gonna…"

Nixie sighs as they all come to try and see how they're going to get her down, and Scott is about to pull out his claws to cut through the wire around her ankle. That's when Nixie hears the rustling of the leaves further in the forest, beyond what is her friends moving around her.

"Wait, wait… stop!" They all freeze, and as the sound persists, she glances up at Scott and asks, "You hear that?" He nods and says, "Someone's coming. We need to hurry and…" "No… no time! Get out of here and hide!" "But Nix..."

Rolling her eyes at him, she says, "If it's Chris, and it probably is, he can't see you and Alison working together like this! Go and hide! Now!"

They scramble away at her command, and Nixie huffs and tries to pull herself up her leg a bit to see if she can get herself down. And maybe if she had more time, she could have. But the footsteps get louder and closer, so she finally just flops back into her upside down position with an exhausted huff and waits.

Chris comes into view a moment later, two other guys behind him. One of them is one from the night of the winter formal. She's fairly certain she broke his arm. She's not sure… she wasn't paying attention to their faces at the time.

Chris sighs as he bends to her level and says, "Nixie?" "Chris. What's up? Aside from me, obviously." He sighs again and asks, "How are you?" "Up obviously. You know… just hanging out. Upside down. Probably about to lose consciousness from the blood all traveling to my head."

She can tell he wants to grin at her, but he stops himself and still asks in a serious tone, "What are you doing out here?" "Looking for my friend, obviously." "Ah, that's right. Lydia's in your group again, isn't she? Part of your clique? Is that the word you use?" "Well, I certainly don't use it. I'm very against cliques and all parts of high school drama. Well, except for the parts I get dragged into unwillingly, but I can't very well help those."

Chris nods, and then says, "Well, maybe there's a better word for it. How about… she's a part of Scott's pack?"

He was usually so good at balancing what the line was… the line that shouldn't be crossed before he'd gone too far in Nixie's eyes.

Not today. The shift in her mood was instantaneous, from the loss of her grin to the hardening of her piercing blue eyes. And somehow, amidst hanging there rather helplessly, she purposefully leans closer into his face and says, "Tread carefully Chris. You are very close to sounding like you're trying to threaten one of the people I care about. And I'd hate for you to go back to being Mr. Argent."

They stare at each other for a moment longer, and then Chris softens his gaze and says, "My apologies. Here… let me…" "Leave me be. Just go back to your teenager hunt."

Chris sighs again. Now, not only was he out here, trying to hunt and locate one of Alison's friends that might very well be another werewolf… but he'd also managed to piss Nixie off again. And he'd just gotten to a point where he felt he didn't have to tread quite so carefully.

But she just crosses her arms and says, "Beat it. I can get myself down just fine."

And in spite of the fact that he isn't sure she can… Chris is honestly more afraid of pissing her off by cutting her down than by leaving her here as she's asked. So he turns and leaves with his other men, back into the woods to continue the hunt.

Sighing in relief once he's gone, she reaches up as soon as Scott is back at her side. He holds a hand under her back and then reaches up with his other hand to slice the wire with his claws. Then he uses some of his strength to ensure she doesn't fall on the ground, but rather rolls back onto her feet so she's standing again.

Nixie takes a breath and then nods and says, "Yep, I'm good. Now… I believe before we were so rudely interrupted, we were heading towards Derek's ominous and foreboding looking house. Shall we?"

As she starts walking up the hill, she glances back at the other three who are still just standing behind her. Raising an eyebrow, she says, "Hey. Are you coming or not?" Scott finally just chuckles and says, "Are you sure you're alright? You were hanging there a while." "I'm fine. Annoyed, but fine. Now come on. We've got to find my best friend so I can impress upon her just how terrible of an idea this was in the first place. Because seriously… seriously!... I was just kidding about breaking out of the hospital. Total joke."

But as they head up the hill to the house, Nixie laughs when Stiles says, "Whatever. We know if you ever end up in there you won't make it twenty-four hours without trying to make a break for it." "What can I say? I do hate needles."

* * *

At school the next day, Nixie is waiting by the sign out front for Scott and Stiles to show up. She's been her for thirty minutes already, and is none too happy about it either.

When it started edging past midnight the other night, it became apparent to Stiles and the others at least, that they weren't going to find Lydia tonight. And with school coming the next day and hunters still out in the woods… well, it was just figured that it'd be better to call it a night. And since even Stiles had conceded that they needed to get home and in bed, that was saying something.

Nixie, however, after being dropped off at her apartment of a home, grabbed her bike and took off back into the woods. And she curses for the umpteenth time that her motorcycle isn't yet up to riding on a permanent basis yet. Sure, she had most of the parts to fix it, and yes, she was certain that if given enough time, she could fix it herself. But between keeping watch for Alison and Scott, helping Lydia keep up with her work, making sure Stiles wasn't freaking out about what Lydia might possibly be, and then everyday life on top of that… she just hadn't had time.

Of course, she could ask Derek… but he was a big bad alpha now. So no. Hell no.

Anyways, bottom line, she rode her bike through the woods all night, and still couldn't find Lydia. So now she was here, without Lydia, without sleep, and all the more frustrated for it.

That being said, she still raised an eyebrow when her boys appeared and she heard Scott ask, "She ate the liver?" Stiles huffs and says, "No, I didn't say Lydia ate it. I just said it was missing. And you know what? Even if she did, so what? It's the most nutritious part of the body."

Nixie can't help grinning at that, and as she falls into step on Stiles' other side, she says, "So, at the very least, if she did eat it, we know she's not starving. Also, why are we talking about Lydia eating a liver?"

Stiles explains to her about his dad investigating the grave robbery this morning that the Lahey's reported. Nixie nods and says, "Noted. We can put grave robbing on her resume as well." Stiles, in spite of everything, grins at that, and then they both look at Scott when he says, "For the record, I never ate anyone's liver."

And Nixie laughs when Stiles says, "Yeah, right, cause when it comes to werewolves, you're a real model of self-control." Stiles throws an arm around her shoulders and says, "See. Nixie agrees with me."

When she's calmed down, she smiles gently at Scott and says, "You're doing great Scott. Excellent actually. So bravo." He smiles back at her, and then Nixie straightens up as an idea hits and she says, "Actually wait. That's a thought, isn't it?" Stiles raises an eyebrow and asks, "What is?" "Scott."

They both look at her now, and she says, "He's a new werewolf. The first one we know who got bit and turned and then needed to learn control. He's our test case… has been from the beginning." Stiles beams and then says, "So we should be going over what happened to Scott." "Exactly."

Scott looks between both of them and asks, "What do you mean?" Stiles says, "I mean, like, what was going through your mind when you were turning, you know?" Nixie nods and asks, "What were you drawn to?"

Looking a bit sheepish now, Scott admits, "Alison." Nixie laughs lightly at that, though she runs a hand through her hair wearily. Stiles just gives Scott a look of annoyance and says, "Okay, nothing else? Seriously?" Scott shrugs and says, "Nothing else mattered."

And now Nixie smiles gently again. Patting Scott on the shoulder, she says, "I do love how both my boys are so dedicated to the girls they're set on. It's a glorious thing, it really is." Scott smiles back at her, and then says to Stiles still annoyed face, "But that's good though, right? Cause the night that Lydia was bit, she was with you." Stiles turns to Nixie and says, "And Nixie. But she was looking for Jackson."

Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "Which still annoys me to no end."

They all turn as Jackson pulls into the parking lot, sliding out of his car with his shades on, like the whole world literally revolves around him. Narrowing her eyes at him, she asks, "You guys gonna ask him about it?" Stiles nods with a sigh and says, "We have to, much as I hate to admit it. If there's even a chance he might've seen her, or she might go to him… we need to check." Nixie nods, and then says, "Great. I'll be outside the locker room then. If he doesn't answer you guys… Scott, throw him out into the hall so I can have a chat with him."

Scott blinks and asks, "Why?" "Because you might be the werewolf… but Jackson is still only scared shitless by me."

And as she watches him toss a dollar to the homeless guy by the dumpster and then call security on him, she sighs and says, "You guys get to practice. I'll see you in chemistry."

Walking down to the guy at the dumpster, she pulls out a ten, the last one she has, and says, "There's a McDonald's up the street a ways. I know it's not much, but at least…"

The man hugs her, and then quickly steps back and says, "Thanks!"

Sighing, Nixie says, "Well, at least there's no need for security now."

She turns to begin walking inside, when a voice appears beside her saying, "That was pretty awesome." Turning to glance up, she sees Isaac, dressed in his lacrosse gear, now walking beside her. Smiling, she says, "Hey Isaac."

At his surprised expression, she asks, "What?" "You know my name?" "We have chemistry, English, and study hall together. And unlike the majority of guys at this school, you aren't a complete jackass. So yes, I know your name."

He smiles at her, and as they continue keeping pace, he asks, "Where are you heading anyway?" "Right now. Same place you are." "The boys' locker room? But…" "I'm staying outside Lahey, don't freak out." He chuckles and says, "Alright. Are you waiting on Scott or Stiles? I can maybe send them out if you want." "Thanks, but neither actually. And if the person I'm waiting for gets sent out… he'll be more thrown out so I can beat the crap out of him anyway. You shouldn't get mixed into that."

Silence for a moment, and then Isaac says, "Jackson, right." "Very good guess." "Not much of a guess. Everyone in school knows you don't hate anybody as much as you hate Jackson." "Hmm, I should maybe go about trying to hide it better than." Nixie grins though when Isaac says, "Please, don't worry about it on my account. You giving him a black eye for the winter formal has been the highlight of my year so far." Laughing, she says, "I'm glad it made someone other than myself happy."

He leaves her at the door, and she waits there for either a report from the boys, or for Jackson to be tossed out so she can question him herself.

When the whole of the team starts filing out, she narrows her eyes at Jackson when he walks past. He smartly keeps to the other side of the hall. And as Isaac walks past her as well, he grins at her before continuing on up the hall.

Then Scott and Stiles join her, and Stiles sighs and says, "He doesn't know anything. If Lydia is trying to come after him or find him, she hasn't been very apparent about it yet." Nixie nods, and then says, "Maybe we should rule that out then. Scott said being with Alison was the only thing that mattered. If Jackson were the only thing that mattered to Lydia, she would've found a way to get at him by now." Scott nods and says, "Agreed. Although… that leaves some other more unpleasant options up in the air to work with." "Like what?"

Stiles sighs again and says, "Jackson made the comment that when he and Lydia were together, we should've seen the marks she left with just her nails. And as much as I may not have wanted that information… it does present the other question of what she's going to do now that she has actual claws."

Sighing, Nixie tilts her head as the warning bell rings, and then says, "Alright, look, we'll talk more about this later. Right now we have chemistry, and a pop quiz. Let's go."

In class, Scott and Stiles take empty seats that are one in front of the other. Nixie is about to sit nearer the back, when she spots Isaac at a desk on the other side across from Stiles. He smiles when she takes the empty seat next to him and says, "Hey." Nixie smiles back and says, "Hey yourself. Ready for this pop quiz?"

He lets out a worried breath and says, "I really hope so." "Don't stress Lahey. You'll be fine."

When she looks to his face and sees him still overly stressed about this, she puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Hey, if it means all that much to you, you can glance over at my sheet a few times to check your answers."

Isaac snaps his head away from the board to look at her, and then he glances around as though afraid someone heard her. Back to her, he says, "You mean that?" "Sure. Just don't be obvious about it. Don't look over every five seconds. Mr. Harris doesn't glance up at us often, but if he does catch you looking more than just once, you'll be in trouble."

Isaac nods, and then says, "Thanks. And I mean… I might not need it. I just… I'm…" "You have severe anxiety over tests?" Isaac nods and mutters, "Something like that." Nixie looks at him and narrows her eyes in thought. Then she asks, "Or is your dad more concerned about it?"

Isaac's entire body freezes for a moment, until Nixie rubs a hand up and down his back and says, "Relax. Just… if you get stuck, go ahead and check. Because I'm acing this thing." He grins and asks, "That a fact?" "Yes. Including the ten extra bonus points." "Nice." "I know right!"

He finally laughs at her, and then they both go silent as Mr. Harris passes out the test.

Before it's even really started, Nixie can hear Stiles trying to talk to Scott about Lydia. Not a good move. Mr. Harris looks at him and says, "This is a pop quiz, Mr. Stilinski. If I hear your voice again, I may be tempted to give you detention for the rest of your high school career."

And then, to Nixie's frustration, Stiles asks, "Can you do that?" Mr. Harris looks at him again and says, "Well, there it is again. Your voice. Triggering the only impulse I've ever had to strike a student repeatedly and violent…"

If he'd been about to say more, he doesn't get to finish it. The sound of Nixie's chair scraping backwards on the floor calls everyone's attention to her. Isaac glances towards her too, and though it's not directed at him, he feels a chill go up his spine from the piercing glare she's giving Mr. Harris.

Harris, for his part, smartly shuts up about wanting to hurt Stiles. Turning his eyes down so he's no longer looking at her, he does add, "I'll see you at three for detention Stilinski." And Nixie can hear Danny start laughing behind her when Harris quickly tacks on, for the benefit of not pissing off Nixie further, "Just for today. I can't actually give you detention for all of high school. That was… I mean… it was just…"

Nixie narrows her eyes at him when he looks to her again, and then Mr. Harris goes silent except for saying, "Begin your quizzes."

Sliding back up to the desk, Nixie turns her heard to Isaac, who is still staring at her. Then she winks at him, and he grins before they both look down at their tests and begin to fill in the answers.

Jackson dashes out of the room eventually, looking frightened by something. But Nixie can't really worry about him right now. She's got enough on her plate without thinking about adding Jackson to the pile. And seriously… she can't stand him. Why would she add him to the pile? He's not even dating Lydia anymore, so that's that.

Isaac does check the answers on her test, comparing them to his. Just twice though, and only near the end, where the actual tricky questions were.

When the bell finally rings, freeing them from the prison that is Mr. Harris' class, Isaac reaches over, a bit hesitantly at first, but then puts a hand on her shoulder. Squeezing gently, he says, "Thanks." "No problem. Like I said, you are an exception to the majority of the male population here. Feel free to ask for copies of my notes too, if you think it would help." "That… would be great actually!" "Awesome. I'll get you some by the end of the day." "The end of the day? But how…"

She grins at his stunned expression, and then whispers, "I'm going to tell you a secret. Very few people know this. Pay attention." He leans in to hear.

Then Isaac leans back in the chair laughing when she says, "I have the magical power to copy notes at lightning speeds and scare the crap out of assholes with a single glance. I'm like superman… except I'm real and more awesome." She grins at him while he laughs, and then says, "I don't know why you're laughing. It's all very true." "I have no doubt."

Patting him on the shoulder, Nixie says, "I'll see you later Isaac." "Yeah."

* * *

It's finally the end of a seriously long day when Nixie meets Alison at her locker. That pretty but ominous black dress has been hanging in there all day, like the pretty popular girl who you invited to the party, but you were really hoping wouldn't show up anyway.

Sighing as Alison pulls it out, Nixie says, "Hand it here." "Why?" Raising an eyebrow, Nixie says, "You already have to wear the damn thing for over an hour today at the funeral. This dress is already a sad and dismal dress, ruined for all other occasions. You shouldn't have to tote it around any longer than you have to. So give it here."

Alison smiles gently and hands it over. Then Nixie sees Alison read the note that Scott left for her, bringing a smile to Alison's face. Nixie glances back down the hall, where Scott just disappeared around the corner. Smiling herself, and knowing that he'll hear her, Nixie whispers, "Good job Scott. Timing couldn't have been better."

Then she turns back towards Alison, looking past her when the kid a couple of lockers down comments, "Nice dress." Alison glances down to the camera he's currently holding, and then says, "Nice camera." And it is a nice camera. Not just some digital thing you buy on the spot from best buy because you need a quick camera. The thing has a bag with it that comes with four other different lens caps, and the front end of it looks a mile long.

Okay, not a mile. But you get the idea. AKA, a freaking expensive camera. So yeah… nice is a word for it.

Nixie would've commented on it too, in her own sarcastic way. But she heard it the same time Alison did. The girls across the hall who are 'whispering' about Alison's aunt Kate.

Now, let's get this straight. Nixie never liked Kate. Nixie hated Kate… almost directly from the start. That being said, Kate had been Alison's aunt. And during the time in which Alison had been oblivious, Kate had been that fun and awesome aunt that every girl wishes they could have. Sure, in the end, Kate revealed herself to be a psychotic, murdering, deranged lunatic with an affinity for fire… but to Alison, for longer than she can remember, Kate had been someone she'd loved.

So even though Nixie agrees with one of the girls, who comments that Kate was a bitch, Nixie still seethes with anger where she's standing next to Alison.

Marching over to them, ignoring the new guy with the camera, she moves until both of them stop talking.

Her infamous stare was apparently legendary. Which, she supposes shouldn't surprise her, but it does. People went out of their way to avoid it if possible now. Sure, sometimes people forgot, but most also knew when to stop and back off, so Nixie didn't actually get to the point of needing to glare at them.

She glares at these two anyway, and then says, "I suggest you go and 'whisper' in another hall, before you end up with the rest of your books inside your locker."

Both take off, and then Nixie turns around, shuts Alison's locker for her, and then gently takes her elbow and says, "Walk. Now."

Alison doesn't just walk. She starts marching, power walking, and Nixie would guess that she would've broken into a sprint… if not for Scott reaching out of an empty classroom to grab her arm and pull her inside. Nixie steps in behind her and shuts the door, keeping a watch out the small window of the door while Scott and Alison talk.

A few tears finally falling, Alison asks, "How did you know?" Scott says gently, "I could hear your heartbeat. What is it?" Alison lifts her head, her eyes weary already, as she says, "I can't… I can't do this. I can't go to the funeral. Everyone is going to be watching me, and there are going to be cameras there, and I can't…" "Yes, you can. Alison, you'll be fine. Everything's going to be okay."

Alison takes in a shuddering breath, and Scott continues, "We're going to find Lydia, and it's all gonna be good. Just think about it… No Peter. No psycho werewolf killings. Your dad and me…"

Alison rolls her eyes at that one, but Nixie smiles approvingly when Scott says, "Well, that's a work in progress." Alison manages a small laugh at that, and as Nixie turns to glance at them, Scott catches her eye and then glances quickly to Alison, as though asking if this is right, if he's actually helping.

Nixie nods to him approvingly, and then turns back to the window as Alison says, "I can't go and be like this." Scott reaches up gently, brushing away her tear with his thumb, and he asks softly, "Aren't you supposed to cry at funerals?" Alison looks up at him and asks, "For her?"

And Nixie smiles again when Scott says, "It doesn't matter. You know, you could be… crying for you, you know? You lost someone. Maybe Kate wasn't totally who you thought she was, but you still lost her." Alison nods shakily, and Scott repeats gently, "You'll be fine. And I'll make sure."

Nodding to himself, he says, "I'll be there." Lifting her head again, Alison asks, "What?" "I'll figure it out. Okay, I'm… I'll be there. Not right next to you. But I'll be there."

When silence reigns for a few moments after that, Nixie can feel how unsure Alison is about how that situation might turn out. If Chris sees him… or Victoria… or anyone else that might be coming… well, it won't be good. So Nixie adds in after Scott, "I'll help him."

"What?" Nixie turns to see Alison now looking at her. Shrugging, Nixie leaves the window to come and stand with them and says, "Since Lydia still isn't back yet, that makes me the brilliant one in the group. Which means my involvement in this plan makes it full-proof." Gesturing to Scott, Nixie says, "So he'll be there, and he won't be seen by anyone that might try to kill him. We'll work it out. And I'll be there too."

She ponders that for a moment, and then both Scott and Alison grin at her when she says, "Maybe not as directly near you as I know Scott will be. You probably won't be able to see me at all. But I'll be there, so you'll feel my presence somehow. I'm sure of it. I have a very powerful presence, as you know." Alison nods, and then hugs her while still sniffling and trying to pull back her tears. Scott kisses her forehead, and then opens the door gently and says, "You first Alison."

As soon as she's out the door, Scott leans back against one side of the doorframe and asks, "So… how are we going to do that?" "I have a couple of ideas. None of which are exactly great… but they'll work." "And if I get caught?" "Worse case scenario right now is that Noah might catch you. And as long as I'm there in some capacity… I think I can still work it so you get to stay."

Nodding to herself, Nixie sighs and says, "Come on. Let's see if I can actually pull that off while also making my presence felt." "What about Stiles?" "I already intimidated Harris so he no longer threatens to give out detentions for the entirety of high school. My abilities of frightening my superiors only stretches so far though. Stiles will just have to meet up with us when he can. It's not like I can break him out of detention."

As they leave the room, Scott watches as Nixie tilts her head in thought. And quickly, so fast that it makes Nixie want to fall down laughing, he says, "Don't actually try to break him out of detention! I need you to help me get to the funeral!" "Ah Scott. You're taking the fun out of it."

* * *

It's as Gerard is looking at the camera that Matt was using that Nixie joins Scott behind one of the grave markers. This one in particular is large with the depiction of an angel standing on it. Sighing as she slumps down behind it with him, she asks, "Been seen yet?" "No." "Good. You picked a nice one." "You told me pick the biggest one." "And you listened to me. Therefore, you did a good job. A-plus and all that."

Scott grins at her, and then turns back when Gerard chuckles and says, "This looks pretty expensive." Matt nods and says, "Yeah, nine-hundred bucks." Gerard holds it open for him to show him that it's empty, and then says, "Even an expensive camera is useless without a memory card in it."

Matt gapes at it, and then as Gerard tosses it back to him, he starts patting down his pockets and checking his bag and camera again for the memory card he knows he'd put in it.

Chris wouldn't have thought any more of it, nor would the rest of them, if other camera people hadn't gone about checking their cameras and realizing their memory chips were gone as well. One man swore to high heaven that he'd had at least three with him and now they were all gone.

And as Gerard steps closer to Chris, both silently wondering what the hell happened, they both hear Alison mutter in relief, "Nixie."

Yep. As promised, she'd made her presence felt. And as Scott turns to her with wide eyes, silently asking if she'd really managed that, she pulls a zip-lock bag from her jacket pocket, with dozens upon dozens of little memory cards stashed inside.

Shoving it back in, she shrugs at his flabbergasted expression, and then says, "They can buy new ones." "What if you'd been caught?" "I had a plan for that." "And it was?" "Run really fast in the other direction of them." Scott rolls his eyes and says, "You're just as bad as Stiles."

"Whose as bad as me? Hi, by the way." Scott glances at Stiles, finally out of detention and now crouched down with the rest of them. Nixie shows him her bag of memory cards, and he gives her a silent high-five before looking over the stone with Scott to see Gerard and the few men he brought with him.

Stiles squints and asks, "Who the hell is that?"

And the elder man, as if on cue, looks over in their direction. Scott and Stiles scramble down. Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "If you guys get seen and then get all of us kicked out of here, I'm going to slap you both in the head." Stiles gives her a look, but then they turn back to the funeral ceremony.

Nixie notes that Scott waves at Alison. So at the very least, she's seen him once and knows he did actually make it there. Sighing in relief at that, she then looks to Stiles when he says, "You know, maybe they're just here for the funeral. I mean, what if they're the non-hunting side of the family? There could be non-hunting Argents. That's possible right?"

Rolling her eyes again, Nixie says, "Sure Stiles. About as possible as Santa Claus coming down the freaking chimney." Stiles looks to her again, and then says, "Sarcasm at a funeral. Really?" "Always."

Then they both look at Scott when he says, "I know what they are." Glancing back at both of them, he adds, "They're reinforcements."

Nixie nods, going along with that hunch much easier than the one Stiles was hoping for. Then she adds, "For the record, simply because I feel it should be said, I don't like whoever the old guy is." Scott looks at her and says, "His name is Gerard. He's Alison's grandpa. And why not?" Nixie shrugs and says, "Bad feeling. I don't like him. I don't trust him. Everyone make a note." Stiles nods and says, "Done."

And that's when both boys are snatched up by the back of their collars. Noah then reaches down a hand for Nixie and says, "Don't make me." She takes his hand willingly and lets him help her off the ground. Then he looks at all of them and says, "The three of you. Unbelievable. Stiles, pick up my tie. And all of you, come…"

Scott is about to panic honestly. He'd promised Alison he'd be there. Now Noah was dragging him away. But Nixie quickly cuts Noah off and says, "Let Scott stay. Please. He'll stay quiet and hidden." "Nixie! You know I can't…" "He promised Alison."

Noah blinks at her, and Nixie says, "Please Noah. She feels terrible enough as it is. Scott promising her that he'd somehow be here is the only thing making her feel anything other than miserable right now. Please. Just Scott. Stiles and I will come with you, no arguments. Please!"

He stares at her for all of a second more, and then sighs wearily and turns to Scott. "If anyone sees you, hears you, or somehow finds out you were here… you're sleeping in the back of the cop cruiser tonight." Scott nods eagerly, and when Noah looks at Nixie, expecting her to argue with that punishment, she holds up her hands peacefully and says, "I said no arguments. I meant it. Let's go."

But as they're heading off, Chris begins walking towards them and says, "Sheriff."

He pauses, shoving Stiles in the direction of the cop car already. He doesn't push Nixie in that direction. Somehow, he already expects that she's the reason Chris is coming towards them. Meeting him halfway, keeping Scott out of Chris' sight for now, Noah asks, "Mr. Argent. How can I help you?"

Sure enough, Chris glances at Nixie, and then says, "She can stay." Noah nods, and then gestures for Nixie to comes closer. Walking up to them, Nixie tucks her hands into the pockets of her jacket and says, "I'm… not exactly dressed for a funeral. I wouldn't want to disrespect the ceremony, not really. But… if it doesn't bother you…"

Chris gently takes her elbow and says, "Please. You'll make Alison feel a little better." Nodding, Nixie leaves Noah's side and follows Chris to the chairs.

Taking the seat quietly next to Alison, she lets Alison wrap her arms through hers, and then she rests her head on Nixie's shoulder. Sighing in relief, Alison asks, "How'd you do it?" "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about" Alison smiles a little, and then nods when Nixie says, "Later."

* * *

When the funeral is finally over, Alison pulls Nixie aside from the rest of her family and wraps her in a tight hug. Sighing in relief that it's over, she asks, "You did do the cameras right?" Nixie nods, and then says, "I'm a regular Houdini." Laughing slightly, Alison leans back, and then shakes her head in disbelief while asking, "How? I mean, how did you…" Nixie shrugs, and then pulls out the bag with all the cards in it and says, "I'm a very resourceful individual. Also, I'm brilliant."

"Indeed." They both look over at Chris who comes to join them. Victoria and Gerard are close behind him, and upon seeing the bag full of memory discs, Victoria grins wider than Nixie thinks she's ever seen. Chris grins down at her and asks, "Do I want to know?" "Probably not, considering this is probably stealing and so I'm now a fugitive hiding from the law. Knowing would probably make you an accomplice."

Alison laughs again, and then looks at Gerard when he says, "Very impressive. And you did all of this just before the funeral started?" "I did half of them just before it started. I did half of them about an hour before it started."

Alison raises an eyebrow at her, to which Nixie says, "You just have to know which ones look like they're actually going to do a doublecheck before cutting on their camera, and which ones are going to assume that everything is still okay from last time. I'm very perceptive about these things, as you know."

Chris chuckles too now, and then moves away with Gerard to discuss certain 'family' matters. That's when Nixie's phone goes vibrates in her pocket. Seeing that it's Stiles, she says, "I need to answer this. Give me a minute?" "Of course."

Stepping to the side, she asks, "What's up?" "We think Lydia attacked somebody in an ambulance. We're headed that way. We think… I mean… she might've… she…" Nixie pinches the bridge of her nose tiredly, and then says, "Text me the last known location. I'll meet you guys there." "On it." "Stiles… she'll be fine. Believe that." "I'm trying."

Hanging up, Nixie goes back to Alison and says, "I have to go. The boys have a lead on Lydia." Nodding, Alison says, "I can…" "You need to stay here, with your family right now. If we actually find out anything, I'll let you know. I promise."

Alison nods again, and then hugs Nixie tight and says, "Thank you. For everything." "Of course."

After that, she dashes into the woods to get her bike from where she stashed it, and then takes off down one of the trails. Stiles quickly texts her shortly after that with the location of the ambulance, and she takes a sharp left before heading in that direction as fast as she can.

It's dark out when they finally approach the bloody scene. And it is a massively bloody scene. The guy inside is most definitely dead. And if it was Lydia… well, Nixie's not sure what they're going to do about that.

Stiles sighs worriedly and asks, "What the hell is Lydia doing?" Scott, still staring at the accident scene in shock, simply mutters, "I don't know." Then Stiles asks, "What kept you from doing that, was it Alison?" Scott shrugs, but says, "I hope so."

Nixie looks to both of them, and then says, "Well, I'd like to think maybe we played some small role in helping you gain some self-control. I'm just saying." Scott grins over at her, and then looks to Stiles when he asks, "Do you need to get closer Scott?"

He takes a long whiff of the air, and then shakes his head and says, "No… I got it."

As he's preparing to leave, Stiles grabs his jacket and says, "Hey." Scott turns back to him, wondering what he wants. Stiles slumps a bit, in a defeated sort of way, and then says, "Just… I just need you to find her. Alright? Please just… just find her." Scott nods and says, "I will."

Then he turns to Nixie, who hasn't said another word yet. Glancing up at him, she nods and says, "You can do it." "Are you okay?" "I'm fine. I'm with Stiles on this one. We need to find her. Before she freezes to death preferably."

Scott knows she's trying to keep the mood at least slightly light, but he can see the tension in her neck and jaw. She's worried. And he can also finally see the dark circles under her eyes. He should've known she wouldn't actually go home and sleep the other night… not with Lydia still missing.

Nodding to her, he gives her shoulder a squeeze and says, "I will find her. If she's anywhere nearby… I'll find her." "Good. Now go."

After he takes off, Nixie sighs and says, "Come on. We should go see your dad." Stiles jerks to look at her and asks, "Why? I thought we were hiding from him." "We were hiding for a moment. But he knows you heard him get the call over the radio about the ambulance. He knows you're here somewhere. Let's go ahead and save him the trouble of finding us, so he can go back to focusing on Lydia."

Rising to stand with her, Stiles says, "Right. Make sure everyone's focusing on her." "Exactly."

When they get to the scene, Noah sighs and says, "I was just about to…" Stiles points at Nixie and says, "She figured. Hence us appearing on our own." Noah looks to Nixie, and then sighs and asks, "What are you two doing here?" "We just…"

Nixie's eyes widen, which is impressive given how tired she is. Stepping up and in between Stiles and Noah, she says softly, "Lydia."

Stiles whips his whole body around, and sure enough, there she is. Naked, leaves and twigs in her hair, looking confused and honestly a little terrified.

Stiles says louder, "Lydia." She still just stands there, barely moving, not even looking at them. It's like she can't really even see any of what's around her. She's too caught up in her own mind, with whatever she's thinking about up there. And considering how expansive that mind is… Nixie's knows it could be quite a bit going on up there. Stiles tries again to shout her name, but still no response.

Nixie takes another step closer and says, "Lydia!"

Her head finally snaps up from the ground, and Lydia looks at all of them in front of her in surprise and relief, if not still a bit confused and dazed. Finally though, after a moment of silence, she asks, "Well… is anyone going to get me a coat?"

Nixie can't help the brief and shocked laugh that leaves her lips. Stiles tries to grab for his dad's coat, but ends up just falling on the ground in his own surprise. Noah shrugs it off and hands it over to Nixie, who runs the rest of the way to Lydia and quickly wraps her up in the overly large jacket.

Lydia huddles inside of it for a moment, but as Nixie steps back, she lunges forward and says, "No please!" Nixie nearly falls down from the fierce hug that Lydia attacks her with. Whole body trembling, Lydia begs, "Please don't leave. Please don't go anywhere. I… I can't…"

Nixie's arms lock around Lydia like a vice as she says, "I am not going anywhere. Satan himself couldn't make me leave right now. Understand?" Lydia nods, but keeps her own grip around Nixie firmly secured, even as the others start gathering around them. One of the examiners asks if he can take a look at her, but Lydia only squeezes Nixie tighter.

Rubbing her arms up and down Lydia's back soothingly, Nixie shakes her head to the medical people and mouths, 'Not yet'. So for the time being, they simply settle for loading Lydia and Nixie together into the back of one of the cop cars, and speeding off towards the hospital.

Lydia is still reluctant to let her go then too, but Nixie holds her tight and says, "I will be here when the examination is over. I will not leave. Alright?"

She finally nods, and then allows Melissa and another nurse to escort her into a room.

Sighing and flopping down into a chair next to Stiles in the waiting room, Nixie asks, "What the hell?" "That's what I was thinking."

Looking over at her, Stiles says, "Where did she go? What did she do? How did she evade Scott? What the fuck is going on?" Nixie nods, and then asks, "I've got another one. Non-Lydia related." "What's that?"

She turns to him, and then says, "If Lydia came to us, and Scott took off in the other direction… who the hell was Scott tracking? And what's keeping him now?"

As if to answer her question, her phone rings and Nixie holds it up to her ear and asks, "Yeah?"

Scott's panting voice on the other end says, "We've got problems. Big problems."

* * *

They're all gathered in an empty patient room at the moment, Nixie pacing, Stiles standing by the window thinking, and Scott sitting on the empty bed running a hand through his hair. Nixie takes a breath and says, "Let's think of positives. We've had too many negatives lately." Scott huffs and says, "Gerard cut a lone, omega werewolf literally in half, and Derek told me that they were declaring war on basically all of my kind. I don't see how we can find a positive in that."

Nixie shrugs, and then says, "He doesn't know you're a werewolf. At least… not yet. I'll see if I can make sure Chris keeps it that way. I might have to threaten Victoria to make her agree, but she'll get over it. In any case, for the time being, he's not after you. Plus."

Stiles nods, and then says, "We found Lydia. That's a plus." Nixie nods and says, "We should count that as two. You think?" Stiles smiles and nods before saying, "Sounds good to me."

Scott finally smiles with them and says, "I still turned down Derek. Plus?" Nixie smiles back and says, "Definite plus. At least two, if not three." They all laugh at that, and then Nixie rubs at her eyes and says, "Alright. We can't do anything more tonight. Lydia's back and safe. I'm staying here so I can see her after the examination. I might stay the whole night, if that's what she wants. Scott, are you going to see Alison?" "I might."

Nixie nods, and then adds, "Obviously you don't need my permission. But I'm not going to be able to help you guys at all tonight. You understand that?" "Got it." "Good. Stiles?" Stiles sighs and says, "Dad's making me go home tonight." "It's okay Stiles. Come back early in the morning." "Dad might not let me." "Tell him that I demanded you bring me coffee. Consequently, do in fact bring me coffee in the morning. A large cup. With…"

And she relaxes a little more and laughs when Stiles says, "I know what to put in your coffee. Sometimes I wonder if you'd even know what to put in it anymore, if I didn't make it for you. So chill. I'll bring you your coffee." "Thanks."

Two hours later, Nixie is sitting in a chair in the corner of Lydia's room. Melissa had even arranged it special so that Lydia was in one of the rooms that had a comfy reclining chair in it as well.

She'd gone a total of thirty-nine hours without sleep. It was a new record. One that Nixie seriously hopes, but doubts, that she won't have to break again.

Because her best friend is a werewolf. Her other best friend is… well, something. And another of her friends is a part of a family of hunters. Sleep… is probably going to come and go sparingly in the near future.

So even though she's almost afraid to close her eyes, afraid Lydia will somehow manage to run off and disappear again, Nixie does eventually let them fall shut so she can catch up on some sleep. Besides, she has a feeling she's going to need it.

* * *

Ta Da! And that's Chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed it, and let me know what you think. Chapter 2 should follow shortly. (Brief warning though, the internet in my area has been severely crappy as of late, so if it doesn't get posted in a timely fashion, I blame that. Lol).


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 2: Episode 2x2

When Isaac comes barging into the old abandoned railroad sublevel in the middle of the night, Derek thinks at first that it's just a typical reaction. The full moon is coming tomorrow night, and Isaac is a newly turned werewolf. It wasn't the strangest thing for him to be feeling the effects with it being so close.

But, after he asks what's wrong, he doesn't get any of the responses he was expecting. He thought Isaac would tell him that his body felt like he was overheating, or that he couldn't go to sleep because he couldn't stop hearing everything around him now.

Instead, Isaac says, "My dad. I think he's dead."

And that… well, that most certainly wasn't the problem Derek had expected to encounter. He'd known Isaac was in an abusive relationship with his father. He'd known when he'd first approached Isaac that the ability to stop the abuse, the ability to be strong enough to avoid it altogether, was a part of why Isaac would say yes. But… Isaac was not the sort of person who would kill his father. Isaac obviously didn't completely hate the man, or he would've tried to turn him into the authorities by now, or runaway, or done something other than take the abuse.

Still… Isaac was a new werewolf. Derek supposes he should've planned ahead for such a complication as this.

Nixie would've.

Shaking his head to clear it, Derek steps out of the shadows and asks, "What did you do?"

Isaac looks around in confusion himself for a moment, and then with frightened and confused eyes, he turns back to Derek and says, "That's the thing. It wasn't me."

Well… that was a slight positive, Derek supposes. Still didn't explain why Isaac's dad would be dead. Frowning and running a hand through his hair, Derek says, "Stay here. I'm going out to investigate."

But as Isaac glances around himself, in the sublevel of this station… he knows he can't stay. Not tonight. Being underground, in the dark, by himself… it's too much like the basement of his own house… the basement where his father had locked him in a freezer so many times before, or hit him for not making the grade that he was supposed to.

He'd had a D in chemistry. It shouldn't have been the end of the world. And even though Isaac had known a D wouldn't meet his father's standards, he'd hoped the reaction would be at least a little better than the F he'd had previously.

The only reason he didn't have an F was because of Nixie and her notes and her offer of allowing him to check his answers off of her work. Hell, sometimes, over the course of the past couple weeks they'd been sitting together, Nixie would even reach over during the middle of the test and tap the end of her pencil against a particular question that she could see he was answering wrong.

So he didn't have an F. He'd managed to bring it up to a D, which was progress. And he'd known he could get it to a C with just a little more time.

Not that it mattered anymore. His dad was dead.

Isaac glances around a moment more, and then shakes his head and says, "No… no I can't stay here. Not by myself. Can I… I'll just come with you. Maybe I can help. I can…" But Derek shakes his head and says, "You'll be their first suspect. Best thing for you to do is stay as far away from all of it as you possibly can. Stay here." "I can't." "Isaac, you…" "I… Derek, I can't…"

Derek sighs in frustration. Yes, he understands on some level why Isaac is afraid of this underground home that Derek currently lives in. But this isn't the basement that Isaac is so afraid of. Shouldn't that also count for something?

Finally, Derek says, "Look, I don't have anywhere else to put you, and I can't stay here and not try to investigate what happened to your dad. So unless you have a better idea for tonight, you have to stay here."

Silence reigns for a moment, and Derek is about to leave, thinking he's won the argument altogether. Then Isaac finally says, "I… I might."

* * *

Nixie was trying to do research on Gerard Argent at her apartment. With no such luck in that department mind you. Nothing came up except for ordinary things about the old man. It was ridiculous really, just how plain and ordinary everything she could find was. Too ordinary. There were probably people that got paid for the sole purpose of keeping interesting stories about him and his family off the web.

Kate's story would be the only exception, and since Nixie had been the one who destroyed all the memory cards from that event, there most certainly weren't any pictures to look for in that respect. And the story itself revolved more around Kate rather than the family as a whole.

She was shutting down her computer, preparing to call it a night, when a knock came on her door. Frowning, she checked her phone to be sure no one had called her. But her phone wasn't even on silent, so that wasn't it.

No one came to her apartment. It was just a forgone fact that all her friends knew. Nixie preferred being with them, in their homes, where they were, rather than in her rather bland and empty and lonely apartment of a home. They all figured it was more because of the fact that her mom was never here and so Nixie just preferred to never hang out there on her own as a result or something like that. In reality, she just didn't have much to offer in her own house. She couldn't afford it.

Bottom line though… the only time someone came to her apartment, was to pick her up because they needed to get her somewhere faster than she could ride her bike. And even then, no one really came up to the door to knock. She would get a text telling her to come on down so they could leave.

So having someone knock on her door at this time of night was a bit unnerving. Stepping up to it, grabbing a bat from the corner nearby, she peeks out the hole in the door and asks, "Yeah? Whose…"

But when the head she can see on the other side of the door lifts at the sound of her voice, Nixie backtracks and instead asks, "Isaac?"

He hears the locks on her door begin unhooking and turning, and then the door is opened and Nixie stares at him for a moment before asking, "What are you doing here?"

Isaac takes a deep breath to try and steady himself, but before he can even speak, Nixie reaches out towards him and grips his arms. Shaking her head, she says, "You're shaking all over. And you're soaking wet. What the hell Isaac? Get in here."

He feels a sense of relief in the fact that he hadn't even had to ask. Nixie just hauled him inside her house and then guided him into her bedroom. "Take off your wet clothes. I think I have a spare shirt of Scott or Stiles somewhere in here you can borrow. Do you have any of your own clothes with you?" "A few." "Good. Bathroom's right there. Go take a hot shower and then dry off and get back out here. And then I expect you to tell me why the hell you rode your bike here in a rain storm."

Isaac doesn't comment on that last bit, but obeys her about going into the bathroom to shower and change.

When he comes back out, he tentatively walks into the kitchen, where he can smell she is at.

There was something very calming about her that he couldn't place or understand. Even when he'd finally gotten to Derek, his alpha, he hadn't felt this relieved or relaxed. And… well, it was understandable to be freaking out, honestly. His dad was dead. Some creature had torn the man apart. And it hadn't been him.

But as soon as he'd seen her… hell, as soon as Isaac had smelled her from the other side of the door, he felt better. It was like… somehow before he'd even tried to ask, he'd known he would find safety and protection here. He knew he'd find a comforting friend that he could rely on, and a place to simply sit and not have to worry about what troubles still rested outside the door… at least for a while.

Isaac takes in a big whiff of the air, and sighs in relief. Nixie's scent was everywhere; and in it was that sense of safety… a sense of home that he'd never felt before.

His eyes were closed as he tried to soak it all in. They were closed so long in fact that he missed Nixie sitting a plate on the table and then her walking up to him. He didn't register that until he felt her hand on his shoulder. Opening his eyes to look at her, he watches her smile gently before she says, "Come on. Sit."

She directs him to the chair in front of the plate she'd fixed. All that was on it was a huge slice of pie, not some full-blown meal or anything. But Isaac ate it heartily and sighed when he was done and said, "Thank you." "Sure thing."

Nixie thinks he should count himself lucky. The diner that she sometimes worked at was having a huge pie sale, and when not all of them sold, she'd been allowed to take two of them home. Isaac was eating a slice of the cherry pie she'd taken. But the lucky part was that Nixie had actually found time to go and work at the diner again in the first place.

Between visiting Lydia in the hospital while she'd been there, running interference for Scott and Alison, keeping tabs on Stiles and the police work his dad was doing, and then everything else she had piled up from normal life... she'd been amazed herself when she'd finally found a day to work in waiting on some tables finally. And on the day that she'd get to take pie home for free no less. Go figure.

It was really Scott and Alison's doing that made it possible though. They felt bad about constantly needing her to watch out for them. So tonight, they were simply meeting in the woods. All Nixie had to do was write the time they were meeting on the window of Alison's car so she could see it later. Easy.

Now… Nixie sits down across from Isaac and asks, "So… what's up?"

Isaac looks up at her, and then ducks his head. Rubbing a hand against the back of his neck, he says, "Um… I… I don't… I don't even know really. Everything… it's all just… I mean… I…"

"Hey." He looks up at her again, at the concern in her eyes. She reaches across the table for one of his hands, and then says, "It's okay. Just… tell me you're alright. Are you hurt?" "No, no I'm fine." "Okay."

Standing up, she motions for him to follow her, and then she makes up her bed and says, "Lay down." "No, Nixie… I can't… it's your bed, I can't…" "Yes, it's my bed. And it's my house. And if you're going to stay here, you have to do as I say. And I say lay down, or I'm gonna kick your ass."

He laughs a little at that, and then laughs again when Nixie says, "I don't know what you're laughing about. I'm quite serious. And capable. Now lay your ass down." She's smiling though, which takes any actual sting that might've been there out of her words. Isaac does as she says, and as she pulls the covers back over him, he says, "Nixie." "Yeah Isaac?"

He takes her hand in his, squeezing it tightly for a moment. Then he says softly, "Thank you."

Smiling gently at him, Nixie says, "Of course Isaac. Now, get some sleep. And if you happen to wake up before me in the morning, please wake me up. I've already been late to school once this week. I can't do it again." "Okay. Night." "Goodnight Isaac."

After she's ensured that he's going to sleep, Nixie lays herself down on the couch in her living room. Sighing, she mutters to herself worriedly, "What the actual hell is going on?"

She falls asleep pondering that question. When she wakes up the next morning, it's to Isaac gently shaking her shoulder. "Hey Nixie." "Isaac? What time is it?" "Five." "Five?! Why in God's name are you awake?"

But as she simply burrows deeper into her covers, Isaac grins at her and says, "Sorry. You told me to wake you if I woke up first." "Yeah, I know. Why are you up?" "I'm heading to school early. I've got a test to retake and this was the only time I could find to take it." Nixie nods, and then says, "I'd ride with you, but I haven't had coffee yet." "I made a pot for you in the kitchen. Hope you don't mind." "That you made coffee? You are my hero this morning, sir."

Isaac chuckles, and then says, "I didn't expect you to come with me though. I just… wanted to do what you said." "Okay."

He stands up to leave as she closes her eyes again, but then turns back when she says, "Oh wait!" Gesturing to the kitchen, Nixie says, "The cupboard by the fridge. Protein bars. Take as many as you want for breakfast."

And though he is hungry, Isaac hesitates. He'd already eaten a huge slice of her pie last night that she'd given him. Back to her again, he asks, "Are you sure? I mean… I don't want to…" Nixie lifts her tired eyes to him, but still says firmly, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Even if it's just a protein bar. And we're in my house, so it's my rules. And the rule is, you eat breakfast, or you can't leave. So grab some protein bars, or I'll…"

She ponders for a moment, and then shrugs and says, "I don't know. I'll think of something later, when I'm more awake. Anyways, just take some and go. Good luck on your test." "Thanks Nixie."

Sighing as she bundles back up in the covers and checks to make sure her phone is still set to go off in half an hour, she closes her eyes and wills herself back to sleep. Something tells her that today is going to be a very long day. She's going to need all the sleep she can get.

* * *

Nixie is standing at the top of the stairs just outside the main school entrance the next morning when Alison and Lydia walk up. Alison is asking, "You really don't remember anything?" Lydia nods and says, "They called it a fugue state, which is basically a way of saying, 'We have no idea why you can't remember running through the woods naked for two days.'"

Nodding as she falls into step beside them, Nixie says, "I personally believe the very fact that you ran through the woods naked for two days is good enough reason in itself to just block out the whole experience. But, that's just me." Lydia smiles over at her and says, "Thanks again for all the help with the school work." "Of course. What are friends for if not for helping with the mounds of genius level school work you have all the time?"

They all laugh, and then Lydia sighs and adds, "As for me, as far as the remembering thing goes… I don't really care. I lost nine pounds." Alison chuckles while Nixie nods and says, "Positivity. I like it." Then Alison asks, "Are you ready for this Lydia?"

Nodding, Lydia then says, "Please. It's not like my aunt's a serial killer."

The hand that suddenly grips her elbow, stopping her from entering the school right away, draws Lydia up short. Looking over at Nixie, who narrows her eyes at her in warning, Lydia then turns back to Alison to see the offended look on her face. Coming closer, Lydia says, "Sorry. I meant that to be more of a sarcastic… we both have our issues… type of thing… but I guess that failed. Too soon?" Alison smiles gently and says, "Just a bit." "Sorry. I'll try to leave the sarcasm to Nixie from now on."

Smirking, Nixie's steps between the two of them, wrapping an arm around each, and then says, "Wise decision. I would consider myself the queen of that domain, so its best we leave it all to me."

They're all laughing as they walk inside, but as Lydia steps in first, she freezes upon watching every single person in the hall stop to stare at her.

Maybe she couldn't remember running around naked in the woods for two days. And maybe none of them had even seen her. But they certainly hadn't forgotten about it. Alison puts a hand gently to her back and suggests, "Maybe it's the nine pounds?"

Lydia is about to comment, or to maybe ask everyone what the hell their problem is, when Nixie steps up beside her, and the entirety of the population in front of them steps back. Lydia relaxes at that. She didn't need to look over to know that Nixie was giving them all the stare that she was famous for. The one that promised death and torture if people didn't either move the fuck on, shut the fuck up, or leave her and her friends the hell alone.

As everyone starts moving again, eyes quickly darting away from looking at Lydia, she sighs in relief and says softly, "Thanks." Nixie's hand squeezes her shoulder, and then she says, "Call me for anything. I have glares to pass out freely for days. They are all at your disposal." Lydia and Alison both laugh and Nixie grins at them before heading away, towards the back of the school where the boys are having their morning practice.

Coming up behind them at the bench, she hears Scott say, "It was kind of like a scent, but I couldn't tell who it was." Glancing between the two of them, Nixie asks, "What are we talking about?"

Stiles actually falls off the bench in his scramble to turn around and see who the hell was behind them. Scott chuckles at him, and then turns to her and explains that he smelled another werewolf in the locker room this morning. Stiles reclaims his seat on the bench and says, "Don't do that! Wear a bell!" "Then I wouldn't be able to sneak up on people." "Exactly!"

Nixie grins and pats his shoulder. Then she turns to Scott and says, "You know what that means right?" "What?" Looking to Stiles, who nods that he already knows, she then turns back to Scott and says, "It means Derek made a new werewolf. He's the only alpha here."

Scott sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Then he says, "We need to figure out who it is. But I couldn't tell in the locker room." Stiles nods and then asks, "What if you can get him one-on-one? Would that help?" Scott ponders that, and then says, "Yeah." "Okay. I think I got an idea."

They both watch as Stiles scrambles away from them for the moment. Scott then turns back to Nixie and asks, "How's Lydia?" "We had a brief moment this morning where the whole school thought it would be okay to just stop and stare at her. I quickly showed them that it was a very bad idea."

Scott chuckles and says, "Meaning you scared the shit out of them with your eyes." "Pretty much. You get anything out of Alison last night about her grandpa?" Sighing, Scott says, "Not really. She doesn't know anything about him really. Nothing that would help us anyway. He's practically a stranger to her." Nixie nods, and then adds, "I tried to do research on him last night, but there's nothing unusual that comes up anywhere around his name on the web. Which, the fact that there's absolutely nothing, is strange in itself. Anyways, point is, we aren't going to find out anything that way."

They look up together when Stiles scrambles back to them, carrying all of the equipment that Danny usually wears. Raising an eyebrow, Nixie says, "Okay, so we're borrowing Danny's outfit. I don't follow." Stiles gives her a look, but grins all the same, and then says to Scott, "I told Coach you're switching with Danny for the day."

Scott looks at the equipment, and then says, "But I hate playing goalie." Nixie laughs and says, "Scott… Stiles said he had an idea." When Scott still looks confused, Nixie points to the goalie gear and says, "This is the idea." "Ah… which is what exactly?"

Stiles looks to Nixie, who can't help but laugh again. She gets it now, but Scott doesn't. Stiles sighs and says to Scott, "I seriously don't understand how you survive without us sometimes." Nixie nods, and then grips Scott's shoulder and says, "You're the goalie. Defend the goal. And get each player one-on-one." "Ah! Got it."

Nixie pats Stiles on the back as Scott jogs away, "Nice job Stiles." "Thanks. You sticking around?" "Obviously. Perks of having first period free." "Nice. Think you can give me a Lydia update later?" "I gave you one yesterday? What do you think has changed?" "With the way things are going… anything is possible."

Laughing, Nixie says, "Fine. I'll update you. Now go before Coach decides to make you run laps instead."

Sitting on the bleachers, watching as the others practice, Nixie winces whenever Scott gives someone a particularly clever or hard hit. Sighing, she whispers for what she hopes is only him to hear, "I know the point of this is for you to get the scent Scott, but if you could try to be a little less obvious… it couldn't hurt."

She watches him, and smiles when she sees him nod just slightly in her direction. He heard her.

Nixie then sees Coach grab Stiles' helmet and pull him a little aside. Walking down to join them, she's in time to hear Coach ask, "Stilinski, what the hell is wrong with your friend?" Stiles stutters for a moment, and then says, "He's failing two classes, he's a little socially awkward, and if you look close enough, his jaw line's kind of uneven."

As Coach gives Scott a more thorough look, he says, "That's interesting. About the classes… he can't…" Nixie taps him on the shoulder, and Coach does a double take before taking a step back. Raising an eyebrow, Nixie says, "I'm not threatening you. If I were, you'd know it already." "Right. So what…" "You were about to ask what he's doing about the failing classes. I'm working on it." "Oh. Right. Good."

As he goes back to coaching, Stiles glances at her and asks, "How's that going by the way?" "The paper he's writing will help in English, but I'm not sure what to do about Econ. He might just have to take a summer class to help catch up at this point. But we'll worry about that when it comes to it. Right now, focus on helping him figure out who we're looking for." "Right."

After Nixie goes to sit back down, she doesn't miss how Jackson makes up some lame excuse to avoid having to go up against Scott. She's not sure what to make of that, and ponders for a moment walking down to have a chat with him. She's sure at this point she probably owes him a punch to the face for something.

But that's when she sees Isaac going up against Scott… and unlike all the others, he holds his own. He matches Scott in supernatural strength right now.

Isaac is a werewolf.

And as the cops start walking out onto the field, Nixie tilts her head so she can hear Isaac plead with Scott, "Don't tell them. Please don't tell them."

And to herself, Nixie sighs and says, "Son of a bitch."

Racing down from the bleachers again, weaving between some of the other players so she can get to Scott and Stiles, she says, "Isaac's a werewolf. Got it. But why do the police need to talk to him? Stiles?" "Hey, don't look at me. I'm as surprised as you are."

Nixie tilts her head to listen in, same as Scott. It briefly occurs to her that maybe she shouldn't be able to hear Isaac's conversation with the police. But again… she'd always had exceptional hearing. So she sets that aside and listens.

When she hears what happened, her entire body freezes in place. Scott says to Stiles, "His father's dead. They think he was murdered." Scott stops listening for a moment as Noah puts a hand on Isaac's arm and says, "Come on." Stiles then asks, "Are they saying he's a suspect?" Scott checks again, but didn't catch that part. So Nixie says to Stiles, "Not yet at least. They aren't sure what to make of it. But Isaac, at the very least, has to be kept under surveillance for now. He's the only lead they have because he's the only blood relative still alive."

Stiles sighs worriedly and says, "Great." Looking to him, Nixie asks, "Why? What's up?" "Well, if they're keeping him under surveillance, then they have the rights to lock him in a holding cell for twenty-four hours." Scott turns to him and asks, "Like, overnight?" Nixie sighs as well and says, "During the full moon. Damn it."

Trying to put a more positive spin on it, Scott asks, "How good are these holding cells at holding people?" Stiles turns to him with slightly wide eyes and says, "People, good. Werewolves, probably not that good. You broke the handcuffs I put you in last time. And not just the middle chain. You broke the cuffs themselves. So…"

Nixie shakes her head and says, "Don't start with the panicking yet Stiles. Handcuffs and jail cell bars are two different things. And we don't know if he's really all that out of control yet. Do we?" She turns to Scott at that, who looks back to Isaac walking away across the field. Sighing, he says, "Remember when I said I don't have the urge to maim and kill Stiles?" Stiles nods, and then both he and Nixie curse under their breath when Scott says, "He does."

Running a hand through her hair, she grabs them both and says, "Come on." Stiles looks down at her and asks, "What? Why? Where are we…" "You two are changing, and then we're going to chemistry. I'm taking the five-question attendance quiz that he always makes us take, and then I'm leaving. You two… I don't know… figure out what you two are going to do. Call me if you get anything."

Scott grabs Nixie's wrist when she makes to leave them at the locker room doors. "Where are you going Nix?" She turns to him, and then says, "I'm going with Noah to the station."

Stiles, halfway in the door, slams his shoulder into it on his way back out, scrambling to see her again. "Nixie! With Isaac! You can't…" "He's not wolfed out yet. That comes later. Right now, he's still just Isaac. And his father's dead, which means he has no one left. Except Derek, and I don't really expect that ass to go and see him at the police station. So I'm going. And do not dare try to stop me."

She gives them both a hard look, to which Scott sighs and says, "Fine. But text one of us at least once an hour so we know you're still okay." "Fine."

Marching into class before everyone else, she takes the five-question quiz, puts in on Harris' desk, and then says, "I'll get the notes later. Something urgent has come up and I have to go. You can call the Sheriff and ask him about it if you need to." But, something told her that he wouldn't dare.

She's about to walk out, when Harris says, "Ms. Haven?" Nixie turns back to him, and at his concerned look, she asks, "What?"

Mr. Harris, to be honest, is really afraid to ask. He'd already upset Nixie once this year with his treatment of Stiles over detention. And though he still didn't like Stiles, and would still be looking for ways to get at him the rest of this year, Nixie was still one of his brightest students. And the fact that Stiles and Scott were walking in while she was walking out… well, it meant something rather serious had to be happening in order for her to be willing to leave at the very beginning of class.

So in spite of his fear of asking, he does anyway, and asks, "What is the problem? Is there anything I can do?"

Nixie stares at him for a moment, but then shake her head and says gently, "I don't know what's going on exactly. But no, I don't think you can help. Just… please don't take points off for my not being here today." "Alright. I'll let it slide this once. Don't make it a habit." "Yes sir."

Out in the hall, she is about to walk past the principal's office, when she sees Noah inside, looking down at Jackson and asking him questions.

She's just sat down and is listening in, when she jumps as Stiles puts a hand on her shoulder from behind. Sighing when she sees him and Scott behind her, she says, "Don't do that." "Oh, so it's okay for you to sneak up on me, but not when I sneak up on you." "Exactly." Stiles just grins and shakes his head at her, and then they both join her in listening in to what Noah and Jackson are talking about.

It's Noah's voice Nixie hears first when he asks, "Wait, so you're telling me that you knew Isaac's father was hitting him?" And then Jackson's voice is the one that makes Nixie grit her teeth. There's no remorse in his voice, or even a hint of concern. Only a sense of superiority, like he was better than all of this and shouldn't even be in the room right now, much less talking to Noah about someone like Isaac.

Jackson sighs and says, "Hitting him? He was kicking the crap out of him." Noah looks at him with such confusion and asks, "Did you ever say anything to anyone? A teacher… parents… anyone?!" "Nope. It's not my problem."

Nixie really wishes Noah would tear into Jackson. Just yelling at him for her would be a good start. But Noah is the sheriff. There isn't a thing he can do about Jackson being a complete and total ass. So Noah simply says, "No, no, of course not. You know, it's funny that the kids getting beaten up are almost always the ones who least deserve it." Jackson nods, not even really listening, and says, "Yeah."

Then he ponders it for a moment and asks, "Wait… what?"

Stiles doesn't try to stop Nixie as she suddenly moves. He's felt her vibrating with rage since she first heard Jackson start talking. He knows better than to try and make her stay still.

Noah, still looking down at Jackson, about to let him go, watches as a look of terror suddenly enters his eyes as he watches the doorway. And though he'd always known Nixie was protective of the select few she chose to worry about, and he knew she had eyes that struck terror into the hearts of the school on a regular basis… he'd never actually witnessed those eyes in action.

Until today.

Marching up to Jackson, grabbing him by his collar and dragging him forward so her face is in his, she says between her teeth, "One day, Jackson, I'm going to beat the ever-living shit out of you. I'm going to beat you within an inch of your worthless, miserable life. And when I do, and you start thinking about asking why I'm doing it to you, I want you to remember this moment. Because this is one of those reasons why."

Shoving him roughly back into the chair, hard enough that it slides back a few inches, she glares at him hard enough to make him start curling into a ball in the chair. He stutters for a moment, and then says, "I… I didn't know he was yours. I didn't know he was…" "That doesn't matter Jackson. He shouldn't have to be one of my boys in order for you to have a conscience and do the right thing."

Curling her lip at him, she says, "You disgust me."

Then she turns to Noah, working hard to try and soften her gaze so she's not glaring at him. Then she says, "I'm going with you by the way. If you're done here, that is."

Noah raises an eyebrow at her, then nods his head to Jackson as a dismissal before stepping out of the office with Nixie and a fellow officer in tow.

It helps lighten Nixie's mood considerably when Stiles scrambles for a magazine to try and cover his face once his father gets into the hall. And Noah has a moment where he considers snatching the damn thing and asking what the hell Stiles has done now to end up at the principal's office.

Then he sees Nixie's shoulders shaking with laughter, so instead he just sighs and says, "Hi Scott." Scott waves a little, and then gives Nixie a meaningful look. She knows he's reminding her to text him every hour.

As they're heading down the hall, in response to his look, Scott feels his phone buzz in his pocket, and when he pulls it out, he grins when he reads, _"Got it."_

Outside, Noah turns to Nixie and says, "Look, it's a school day. And you need…" "Noah, I'm the smartest person here aside from Lydia. And I haven't missed another school day all year. I'll be fine this one time." "Nixie… Isaac is a suspect. He has to be, because he's the only link we have to his dad. And you getting caught up in this? It's not…" "He's my friend Noah. And he didn't do this." "Nixie, you can't know that for sure. He's…"

She reaches out for his elbow when he tries to walk away. Putting herself in front of him again, she says, "He doesn't have anyone else Noah." He pauses at that, and Nixie shrugs and says, "If his dad is dead, then he has no one else. And I am not going to just let you take him down to the station like that… thinking that he has no one on his side. He's my friend. I know him, alright. Maybe not as well as I know Scott and Stiles, but I know him well enough. He's a good kid. He studies hard, works twice that hard. And his dad might've been a mean jackass, but Isaac didn't hate the man. He did not do this."

Releasing Noah's arm, she says, "You can make me ride my bike if you want, but I am going to end up at the station anyway. You can't stop me." Noah, after a moment of deliberation, finally sighs and says, "No, I suppose I can't. Get in the car."

Isaac, for his part, has been looking down in the backseat since they put him in there. He could break the cuffs. So easily. But then what would he do? Where would he go? Derek hadn't called him back yet with any information, so the railroad station was a bust. And Nixie wasn't at home right now, so he couldn't just go to her place like he had last night.

In all honesty, he's ready to cry from being so weary and stressed and new at this werewolf thing. Not to mention his dad is dead, which adds to his grief.

Then the door of the cop car opens, and Isaac gasps as he takes in a breath of the scent that wafts inside. Security. Safety. Home.

And when he looks up, Nixie is in the passenger seat up front, looking back at him. Securing her seatbelt on, she smiles gently and says, "Hey Isaac." "Hey. What… what are you doing here?"

And the weight that had been pressing in one his chest is taken off when Nixie raises an eyebrow and says, "I'm coming with you obviously. And I'm going to make sure no one hurts you while they're holding you at the station. Stupid really. This whole thing is stupid. You shouldn't even be here."

Noah sighs as he cranks the car and says, "I'm never going to hear the end of it, am I?" "Not today at least." Nixie smiles at Isaac gently again, and then says, "I've got you Isaac. Alright? We've got this. _All_ of this."

* * *

Scott is glaring down at the freezer box in front of him, with Derek standing next to him, still trying to convince Scott to become part of the pack. And basically, though there are a lot of reasons why he won't join him, Scott says, "If I'm with you, I lose her."

Her, being Alison of course. Derek just shakes his head and says, "You're gonna lose her anyway. You know that." "I don't know that actually." Derek rolls his eyes and asks, "You think you're going to somehow convince Argent that you're…" "Not me. Nixie."

Derek pauses at that, and Scott says, "At least, I know she's working on it. She's trying. Slowly. She said I have to let her work at her own pace… a pace Chris won't even notice she's working at. And by the time he's convinced that it's okay to let me be with Alison… he won't even have realized she was working on him at all until it's too late."

Nodding to himself, Scott says, "If anyone can convince him… Nixie can do it."

Silence for a moment, and then Derek concedes softly, "Yeah. I suppose if anyone could, it would be her." Scott nods, and then sighs and says, "Just… just wait alright." "Why?" "Because I'm not joining your pack. But if Isaac really is innocent, then he's my responsibility too." Derek nods, but then asks, "And how are you going to determine if he's innocent or not from here, apart from the fact that I told you he is?"

Scott gives him a look, and then takes out his phone and hits one on his speed dial. It barely even rings the second time before it's answered and Nixie's voice on the other end says, "I'm here. Still not dead. What's up Scott?" "How sure are you?" "Of what exactly?" "Isaac's innocence. You wouldn't have gone with him to the station alone if you didn't think he was innocent. But how sure are you? I need to know."

Silence for a moment, and at the station, Isaac is currently sitting on one of the chairs in the main lobby, handcuffed to the arm of it. Tilting his head, listening in on Nixie's conversation, he can't help but smile to himself when she says in a firm voice, "A hundred percent."

Scott nods to himself, watching Derek, who is obviously listening in as well. Then Scott asks, "Why? Evidence? Or…" "He's a friend Scott. I like him. And I have an astute ability of not automatically liking complete assholes or murderers. Isaac is neither. His dad might've been a son of a bitch, but Isaac is a good person. He didn't do this. I will stake my life on it, alright."

Nodding again, Scott says, "Alright. We have another problem though." "What's that?" "I'm gonna send you some pictures. Nixie… you're not going to like them."

Sighing, Nixie says, "So what's new today?" Scott smiles slightly, but then says, "Nixie… you're really not going to like them. I need you to… to just be prepared for that, alright." "Why? Why am I…" "Because you're protective. And… well, if you've elected Isaac as being one of the people you're going to be protective of as well… then you're definitely not going to like this."

The silence lasts so long that Scott has to ask, "You still there?" "Yeah." Sighing once more, Nixie says, "Just… send me whatever you need to send me. I'll keep it together. I can't afford to let them kick me out of here anyway. They're just about to put Isaac in one of the cells, and I've managed to convince Noah to let me sit there with him." Scott nods, and then asks teasingly, "Meaning you told him you're staying and there isn't a damn thing he can do about it?" "Maybe not that bluntly, but I think he got the idea."

Laughing gently, Scott says, "I'll send you the pictures. You already know I'm with Derek, right?" "I got your text. Still not happy about it." "I know." Another pause, and then Derek sighs when he hears Nixie over the phone say, "Make sure he knows I still think he's an ass. And he still can't use my number." Scott nods and says, "He knows." "Good. Keep me updated Scott. I'll see you later."

At the station, Nixie sighs and then moves over to where they're getting Isaac out of the chair to take him to the lockup. One of the officers, Haigh, smirks and says, "Alright delinquent. Let's go."

He turns to walk away, Isaac moving with him, when Haigh freezes upon finding Nixie directly in his path. Eyes as fierce as ever, she says, "Until he's actually been proven guilty, don't call him that." "He's…"

"Haigh!" The man turns to the sheriff, who shoots Nixie a warning look as well. But then Noah says, "Don't argue with her. She's right. Just take him to his cell, and don't be rough with him." Haigh nods, though Nixie hears him whisper, "Doesn't matter. We'll find him guilty and I'll have to drag his ass to the moving van anyway."

Noah's hand on Nixie's shoulder is the only thing that stops her following after him. "Nixie, I know you scare the shit out of most people with that look. But you cannot attack one of my officers." "I wasn't going to attack him."

At his raised eyebrow, she concedes, "I may have been pondering slapping him in the back of the head, but come on! What…" "Nixie, it's still assaulting an officer, which you can be detained for. Which will separate you from Isaac, which I'm sure you don't want right now. Right?" "Fine. But it should be noted that your newest deputy has already managed to piss me off enough to earn a head slap. I don't like him." "It's been noted, I assure you."

And then Noah laughs when Nixie says, "Good. Because my notes on these things are very important, you know. I don't just tell you all this so you can forget it later."

* * *

"What did you mean?"

Nixie looks up at Isaac. She's currently sitting on the floor outside of the cell that they put him in. Noah was supposedly getting her a chair, but she didn't expect him back anytime soon. There were other cases besides Isaac's that needed tending to as well. Besides, she was fine with the floor.

Raising an eyebrow, she asks, "What did I mean when I said what?" "When you said, 'All of this'. What did you mean?" She narrows her eyes at him slightly, and then says, "You are aware I'm brilliant, right?" "Yeah." "And you're aware that Scott is… gifted?" Isaac nods at that too, and Nixie leans her head back against the wall again and says, "Then don't insult my intelligence by thinking I might not mean, exactly what you think I mean. Scott is one of my boys. I know everything about him. So yeah, I know what he is. And consequently, I know what you are too."

Isaac moves to be sitting next to her on the other side of the bars. Sighing, he says, "It's going to be bad tonight, isn't it?" "Maybe. We don't know that for sure yet." "I'm not like Scott. I could feel that he was stable and in control. I can't… I don't have that yet. I'm gonna lose it." "Well, yeah. With that attitude, you most definitely are."

He looks over at her and says, "Very encouraging." "Hey, I'm all kinds of encouraging, okay. Like, mountains of encouragement is what I'm giving away. For free by the way." Isaac chuckles, and then looks at her again when she says gently, "But I'm not going to just lie to you either. And your attitude is a part of it."

Giving him a hard look, she says, "If you're certain you won't keep it together, then you definitely won't keep it together. So just… focus on something else right now, okay." "Like what?" "Like how ridiculous it is that you're even here in the first place." Isaac shrugs and says, "It's not totally ridiculous. What's ridiculous is how often your phone keeps going off?"

Nixie looks at her phone in her lap and says, "What can I say? I'm in high demand." "Do you need to leave? I'm fine, really. I…" "Isaac, stop asking me if I want to leave. If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't have left school in the first place, in order to be here."

Her phone goes off again, and Isaac tries to guess, "Stiles?"

Scott, Alison, and Stiles had all been texting her nonstop. It started about an hour after she got to the station with Isaac, and it hadn't stopped since.

Scott was with Derek. Almost as soon as she'd left with Isaac, Derek had come for Scott to get help. And apparently it was actually a good thing. Scott had also sent her pictures of the basement in Isaac's house.

His dad had been locking him in a freezer. A God damn freezer! Scratch marks littered the inside of it and the floor beyond it as well. But what really got Nixie was the blood. It wasn't just nail scratches on the insides of the freezer. Isaac had tried so hard to get out, that his fingers had started bleeding at some points.

If the man weren't already dead, Nixie would've killed him herself.

Stiles, being in detention, hadn't really gotten a chance to text her much, except to say he was going to detention with Harris. Alison though, was keeping her updated on what her father and Gerard were discussing. And yes, they were discussing Isaac.

And Lydia. Apparently they'd even started questioning Alison about Lydia, to figure out if she were a possible target they needed to go after. Or… maybe to try and justify why they were already going after her. Alison wasn't sure. And they'd also sent some hunter dressed as a police officer out of the house.

Which is why Stiles was texting her now, sending her a picture of the flower like plant called wolfsbane and letting her know that whoever that hunter was… he was on his way to kill Isaac. Clicking her phone so the screen goes black again, Nixie sighs and says, "Yeah. It was Stiles."

Isaac reaches through the bars for her hand and asks, "Everything okay?" "No. Everything is about to go to shit Isaac." He tenses up at that, so Nixie assures, "Don't worry. Shit has to go through me first before it can get to you." "That's what worries me." "It shouldn't. I'm very adept at handling myself." "Nixie, maybe you should…" "You can't make me leave Isaac. I'm staying. Besides, even if I do fight back, I'm still safer than you are against what's coming." "Why?"

Nixie looks over at him and says, "Because what's coming won't kill me. Wound me? Maybe. Kill me? No. But you… it'll kill you." Leaning back against the wall again, she says, "And I won't let that happen."

Isaac nods, and then asks, "Why are you so certain I'm innocent?" "Because you are. We may not be considered the best of friends or anything Isaac, but I've always considered you a person worth knowing. My recommendation in that particular area isn't given out lightly, same as all my other positive recommendations." "You have those?"

Nixie turns to him with a grin and says, "Ha, ha. Very funny." Isaac chuckles and says, "I'm almost serious though. All three deputies that have come in here to check on us, you seem to have a problem with." "They're all assholes!"

Isaac laughs again and Nixie grins at him before leaning back and sighing. "Anyway. Point being Isaac… I know you're a good person. I know you didn't do this."

Silence for a moment, and then Nixie looks at him again when he asks softly, "What if I can't get anyone else to believe that? What if they convict me and I…" "Hey."

He turns to her, and she says, "Listen to me right now, okay. Remember this. I know… _I know…_ that you didn't do it. I know. Me. I'm certain. And I don't give a shit what any other cop, judge, or jury has to say about it. I know you didn't kill your father. I know you didn't murder him."

Reaching for his hand now, squeezing gently, she says, "So even if the rest of the world decides to believe you did it… I know you didn't Isaac. You have me. I'm on your side. No matter what the rest of the world decides to believe. You have me. Always. Do you understand?"

He nods after a moment, and then comments, "You have the most piercing eyes I think I've ever seen." "I've been told. Helps me make a point. Or scare people shitless, whichever I happen to be trying for at the time." Isaac chuckles, and then laughs harder when Nixie says, "As for what will happen if they convict you… don't worry. Between Scott, Alison, Stiles, and me… we'll find a suitable plan to bust you out."

And he almost starts crying from laughing so hard when she adds teasingly, "I don't know why you're laughing. I'm dead serious. I'm not above adding jailbreak to my resume. In fact, I think it'd be a rather interesting conversation piece."

* * *

Stiles sighs after he hangs up with Alison, and then as Derek is sliding into the passenger seat, he notes that Stiles also presses the one on his speed dial. And Nixie's voice is, once again, the one that answers him within seconds. "Stiles? You finally get out?" "Yeah. Listen, I've got some updates." "And judging by your tone of voice, none of them are good." "Nope, not really."

Sighing, Nixie paces back and forth in front of Isaac's cell. He'd begun wolfing out a little bit. Just his eyes really, and his breathing was a bit labored. But he was still able to hold a conversation with her, so she considers that impressive at this point. Running a hand through her hair, she says, "Give it to me. What's going on?"

Stiles glances over at Derek, but decides to leave that for last. So he says, "Well, Scott's still at Isaac's house." "Why?" "He said he could feel the moon affecting him more now. He's worried about hurting people." "Again, why does being at Isaac's help with that?"

A pause, and then Stiles says, "He's… getting Alison to lock him in the freezer box that Isaac's dad used to put him in."

Stiles doesn't rush her with processing that. He just waits for her to break the silence. And she does, with, "For fuck's sake, why is that considered a good idea?" "It's not, but we don't have time to come up with something better." "Patience is not either of your strong suits. I could've come up with something better." "Yeah, maybe. But you're with Isaac. Just… I know it's not a great plan. But you can't be everywhere today Nixie. Isaac needed you. Scott will be fine. He'll be better than Isaac anyway." "Right."

Nixie glances at Isaac, whose eyes are still glowing and he's leaning against the locked door rather heavily. Could he break it down?

She'd rather not find out. Back to Stiles, she asks, "What about the deputy that Gerard was sending?" "Alison managed to delay him for the time being. He's probably still on his way though, so keep a lookout." "Got it. And is she staying with Scott or not?" "Undetermined yet." "Right."

Stiles finally glances at Derek, and then says, "Derek's with me now. We're heading to the station." A pause, and then Nixie says, "Make sure Derek knows if he hurts you, I'm going to make him wish that I'd just kill him." Stiles nods, and as Derek sighs from having heard her, Stiles says, "He knows. Listen, we're going to work on getting the keys to the cell. Hopefully we'll have Isaac out and in whatever safe place Derek has set up for him for the full moon."

Nixie nods and says, "I'll try to make sure no one else is down here when you guys arrive, but I'm not leaving Isaac. Well, not unless I'm bodily removed from the room. Anything short of that, and I'm staying here." "Got it. We'll be there soon."

Stiles is about to hang up, when Nixie says, "Pass the phone to Derek."

When Derek has it, he asks, "Yes Nixie?" "To my understanding, Isaac asked you for this." "Yes." "Even though you told him everything?" "Yes."

A pause, and then Nixie asks, "Can you control him when you get here?" "Yes." "I need to know how certain you are of that. And… also how you intend to control him." "I am one hundred percent sure I can control him. And how… is because I'm the alpha. There's a level of power and dominance there that Isaac will feel and understand."

And because he knows what she's worried about, he says, "I'm not going to have to hurt him Nixie. Growl at him, maybe. But I won't hurt him. You have my word on that." "Good."

Another pause, and then Nixie says, "I still think you're an ass." "I know." But Derek feels a sense of relief wash over him when Nixie says, "But you can use my number again. For important things. And I already put my number in Isaac's phone. Just… when you get him out of here… make sure he knows the rule." "Alright."

She hangs up after that, and then looks back at Isaac, whose breathing is growing more labored by the second. She can hear the faint sound of his claws scratching against the surface of the locked door. He wasn't trying to break out yet, but it was only a matter of time at this point.

Looking heavenward, Nixie closes her eyes and says, "Please, please, just don't let any of my people die tonight. Not tonight."

She's no sooner spoken the words, when she heard someone walking down the hall towards them. Not a normal walk either, if you can determine such a thing. The steps were too slow, kept pausing too often. Like someone was trying to check every room before they reached this one. Pocketing her phone, she turns to Isaac and says, "I need to check on something, alright? I'm coming right back."

He nods to her slowly. Not a good sign. But at least he wasn't growling yet. She'll take it.

Stepping out into the hall, she sees two men in uniforms walking stealthily down the hall towards her. Raising an eyebrow, she asks, "Can I help you find something?"

Both heads snap to her, and then one of them, the prettier one, smiles a dazzlingly white smile and says, "Yes, actually. We're here to check in on a prisoner. Lahey, I believe is the name." Nixie nods, and then says, "Ah. Can't help you there. I can tell you he's not on this hall. Maybe try one of the other ones."

The dazzling smile freezes in place for a moment, and then the man relaxes and asks, "Are you sure? I could've sworn…" "Can I see some ID?"

The meaner looking one curls a lip at her and says, "Sure." He reaches into his inside pocket, only to come back with a knife that he throws in her direction.

Nixie spins back into the room with Isaac, missing it by a hair. It lodges itself into the doorframe though, wiggling there precariously. Making a thoughtful noise in her throat, Nixie says, "Noted. We have a knife marksman in our midst." "Nixie?"

She looks over at Isaac, and at his worried expression, she says, "Don't worry Isaac. It's like I said. I'm all over this."

Stepping back into the hall, pulling out the knife and bringing it with her, she smirks and says, "Alright. Let's go."

And while she was fighting with them, working to force them both back down the hall away from Isaac, she didn't miss the sudden tearing of metal she could hear from behind her. Derek and Stiles needed to get to Isaac, and fast.

* * *

Stiles has just been dragged into the room by the third and final false deputy, the one Alison had delayed before by shooting him in the leg with an arrow.

That's when they both see that the door of the cell is already open, and Stiles scrambles back as Isaac appears out of nowhere and slams the false cop into the other wall. The man tries to stab him in the neck with his vile of wolfsbane, but Isaac caught it and twisted it down, the man's arm crunching and snapping in some places from the way Isaac was forcing him to move.

Nixie had already warned him about what the deputy might be attempting to do to him. The second he'd seen the vile, he'd known what it was for. And now, with it on the floor and not a concern, he takes the deputy's head and slams it back into the wall, officially knocking him unconscious.

Then he turns around to find Derek also behind him, having come in and smashed the needle full of wolfsbane beneath his boot. Then Isaac turns his attention to Stiles, and his vision goes a little red. Hunt, kill, maim… all the things Scott was getting better at… Isaac was now experiencing.

But when Derek saw the look in his eyes, he did what he'd promised Nixie he could do. Eyes glowing red, he roared down at Isaac, who quickly succumbed to his show of power and fell back down to the ground in a ball, working his way back to the wall and away from his angry alpha.

Stiles stares in awe, and then asks, "How'd you do that?" Derek turns to him and simply says, "I'm the alpha."

Then Derek turns back to Isaac, whose face has gone back to looking normal. Nodding down to him, Derek then looks around before asking, "Where's Nixie?" Isaac blinks for a moment in confusion, then looks around for himself. Then he looks up at Derek and says, "She… there were others. She… she went to keep them away from me. She…"

"You're really beginning to piss me off!"

All three heads snap towards the doorway at the sound of Nixie's enraged voice. Derek steps out first, eyes widening as he looks down at the end of the hall. Isaac and Stiles follow, and then Isaac asks in awe, "Has she always been able to do that?"

By that… he meant kicking the ass of men twice her size. One of them, the prettier one, was already on the ground, nose broken and bleeding, and knee dislocated from the look of it as he tried to crawl away. The other man, who was growling at her in his own very unintimidating way, was charging at her once again.

She used his weight against him and spun him around so he ran face first into the nearest wall, smashing his face against it. His nose was broken too, but he wasn't going down yet. He yelled in rage and said, "You bitch!"

Derek turns in surprise when he hears Isaac growl in response to the man's words. Then he growls too when the man manages to wrap an arm around Nixie's throat from behind her, beginning to try and choke her out.

Idiot. Nixie stops down hard on his foot, elbows him in the gut, and then uses the wall in front of her to run up and flip over him so she's now behind him. Dragging him down to the ground, she slams the back of his head down against the top of her knee, and then punches him in the face for good measure. Finally, he's out like a light.

Turning to the other man, still trying to crawl away, she marches up to him and gives him a swift kick to the face, knocking him out as well.

When she finally looks up at Stiles, Derek, and Isaac, she asks breathlessly, "What?" Isaac just gestures to them and asks, "How… how did you…" "I told you. I'm quite adept at taking care of myself." And though her lip is bleeding, and there's a bruise forming on the side of her neck and on her left arm… she does look fine otherwise.

Glancing back at the men on the ground, she then turns to Derek again and says, "Help me get them into the holding room. Then you two need to leave. Stiles, what is our story?"

Isaac helps Derek get the two men into the room with the other one, and then Stiles says, "Alright, they're all fake cops. It'll only take my dad a second to figure that out. So… they came in trying to kill Isaac. You fought them, and in the midst of that, these guys let Isaac escape, and you were too preoccupied to stop them. You called me before the fight started, and that's why I'm here, and why I pulled the fire alarm. Sound good?" "Works for me."

Nixie jumps in surprise a little when Derek gently grips her chin and forces her to face him. Eyes roaming over her face, he says, "Which of them hit you?" "Both of them actually. In case you didn't notice, we were having a very intense argument." Looking at the incapacitated men again, she adds, "An argument that I won I might add."

Derek shakes his head at her, and then asks, "Are you okay?" "I'm fine. Way better than they are. Now, you two seriously need to go. You've got about four minutes before the rest of the cops and the fire department show up here. And then I won't be able to help you get out of here."

Nodding, Derek heads for the door, but turns back when Isaac doesn't follow.

Walking up to her, Isaac touches her bruised arm, and then says, "I'm so sorry. If I… I should've…" Nixie grips his chin, making him meet her eyes, and then says, "You did nothing wrong. You are innocent. And you still have me. Understand? In fact, just so you're aware, you can't lose me. It's impossible. I'm stubborn like that. Ask Stiles."

And Isaac grins and chuckles lightly when Stiles confirms, "It's true. She's too stubborn for her own good. We tried to get her help. It turns out she incurable. But we like her that way." Isaac nods at that, and then hugs her and sighs in relief before saying, "Thank you. For everything." "Of course Isaac. Now seriously. Get out of here. Otherwise I did all of this for nothing, and I refuse to have all this hard work go to waste."

When Noah comes in later, finding Nixie and Stiles in the room, along with three incapacitated cops, he looks at them both with wide eyes, and then gestures around the room helplessly, asking for an explanation. Stiles, tending slightly to Nixie's busted lip, stutters for a moment before pointing to one of the men on the ground and says, "He did it."

Then he turns back to Nixie, and Noah notices that she's bruised and a little frazzled and worse for wear. Stepping inside and up to her, he asks, "What happened?"

They feed him the story, and Noah immediately sends someone to go and check the fake IDs the men have in the system. Then Noah tilts Nixie's face up to look at him, and he asks, "Are you alright?" "I'm fine. And I seriously wish people would stop asking me that."

Noah glances at Stiles, who shrugs and says, "I'm just trying to make sure. Do you see that one?! He looks like a bear!" Nixie smiles at Stiles and says, "That just means he went down harder." Back to Noah, she says, "I'm fine. I promise. But… if it's alright… I'd really rather not go home tonight. You know, being by myself and all. Not really on my list of things for tonight. Can I crash with you guys?"

Stiles is already nodding his head, before Noah has even answered. Chuckling slightly, he says, "Yes. And you're going to eat something before you go to sleep." "That's cool. I'm starving anyway." "Good. Stiles, take her home. I'll handle this."

In the jeep, on the way home, Alison calls Nixie, and as soon as she answers, Alison says, "We have a serious problem." "Well, I figured it was only a matter of time before we found a new one to add to the list. What is it?"

As Alison tells her about the lizard type creature that was crawling on the ceiling at Isaac's house, Nixie asks, "Are you okay?" "I'm fine. Scott broke out and the thing ran off. But Nixie… it was… it was so freaky looking. It had a tail, and these claws that looked like they were coated in something. And it… I mean… I've never seen anything like it."

Nixie sighs and says, "Yeah. Something tells me we're going to start seeing a lot of things we've never seen before, now that we're on the radar of the supernatural world." Running a hand through her hair, Nixie asks, "You're sure you're alright? You and Scott?" "Yeah, we're both fine. Promise." "Good. Listen, I'll be at Stiles house tonight if either of you need me. See if Scott can find a way to stick with you tonight and make sure that thing doesn't come back for you. And if anything else happens…"

Alison says in a relieved sort of tone, "Call you. We know. And we will. I promise." "Good. Just… try to get some sleep. It's been a long day." "Yeah, tell me about it. How did it go with Isaac? Is he safe?" "Yeah. For now anyway. Though technically I think he's now considered a fugitive from the law. But, at the very least, he hasn't killed anyone yet. That's gotta count for something."

Nixie then hands the phone to Stiles so he can relate what happened back to Alison. And when he hangs up and hands it back to her, he asks, "What are you in the mood to eat?" "Something that's quick and takes no effort." Grinning, Stile says, "Pizza rolls it is. You want some coffee?" "As long as you're making it, yes." "One large Stiles café special, coming right up."

And he laughs when Nixie asks, "Is that what we're calling it now? I feel my name should be thrown in there somewhere. After all, the special wouldn't even exist if you didn't have to make it specifically for me. I should at least get some credit. What are you laughing at? I'm serious."

* * *

And Boom! That's Chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed it.

It occurs to me that I didn't tell you guys how many chapter there would be at the end of the first chapter, which I think is something I typically do. Anyways, there will be a total of twelve chapters in this story, for those of you who care to know these things ahead of time.

And Chapter 3 should follow shortly (given that the internet around here doesn't crash again.) 'Heavy sigh'. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 3: Episode 2x3

It was only nine at night when Nixie's phone rang. Hitting the speaker button without really looking to see who it was, she asks, "Yeah?" "Nixie…"

Dropping her pencil mid-sentence and closing her binder over it, she asks, "Alison? What's wrong?" "I… I don't know. I just… AH!" "Alison?! Alison!"

Looking down at her phone to make sure the line hadn't been disconnected, she yells out again, "Alison!" She can hear muffled movements in the background. And then, finally, the line is cut off. Scoffing, Nixie asks, "Oh really?"

She dials it again. Three times. No response. She calls Chris too, but he doesn't answer her either. "Alright then. I'll do it myself."

Booting up her laptop, she enters in the GPS locator website that she'd memorized ever since Danny had first taught her how to use it. Then she punches Alison's information into the system, and paces the room while the system loads.

It takes longer than she'd like, but the little mouse on the screen finally stops spinning and Nixie looks to see that Alison's phone is now at Derek's old abandoned and burnt down property. "Why the hell is she there?"

Then she calls Derek, who asks, "Yes?" "I'm pretty sure you didn't, but I'm just checking all my bases. You didn't by chance kidnap Alison and take her to your old property, did you?" A pause, and then Derek says, "No. Why?" "Because someone did, and she's there." "Do you need help?"

Nixie ponders that for a moment, and then says, "No, I don't think so. Chris isn't answering me, which makes me think he was probably somehow involved in this. So… you and Isaac probably shouldn't go near that place right now."

Derek then says, "If it was her father, then he's starting." "Starting what?" "Training her." Sighing, Nixie says, "Great. Alright then. Thank you and remember, don't go near there right now. I have enough problems to keep track of without adding you and Isaac getting shot up by the Argents to the list." "Alright. Nixie, be careful." "As careful as I can be."

Hopping out of bed and slipping on her tennis shoes and a jacket over her tank top, she glances down at her runner's pants and asks aloud, "Do I really feel like changing into jeans at this point?"

She ponders that all of a second, and then says, "Nope." Grabbing up her other stuff, she throws it all in her bag and then heads out the door, locking it behind her and taking her bike into the woods.

By now, the path to Derek's house was one she's practically memorized. And given that she was pretty sure Alison wasn't in any actual danger, she didn't race as fast as usual down the path. She still got there in plenty of time though.

Of course, when she snuck in through the back and found Alison tied to a chair, she says aloud for herself, "Noted. Next time you're being 'trained', I will ride faster." Alison sighs in relief and says, "Thank God. Please help me." "Yeah, sure."

Walking around behind her, Nixie takes over cutting through the rope with the arrow. Noticing that it's the same one Alison had shot the fake cop with, Nixie asks, "So… they know you helped save Isaac?" "Yeah." "Would it help at this point if I said I'll take the fall for this?" Alison smiles but says, "No. I already kind of confirmed it. Also, there's something you should know. It wasn't my dad that made the final decision. And it wasn't even Gerard."

Nixie gets through the rope quickly and then helps Alison stand up and rubs her wrists gently to soothe the ache she knows must be there. Then Nixie says, "Well, the Gerard part is shocking to me, I must say. If he didn't make that final decision, who did?"

And Nixie freezes in surprise when Alison says, "My mom." "Your mom? Why? How is that…" Alison nods and says, "Yeah, I know. But apparently that's like, part of the code I guess. The final decisions, the hard ones… those are all made by the women in the family. Something about wars and violence usually being started by men. My dad said 'our sons are trained to be soldiers, and our daughters are trained to be leaders'."

Nixie raises an eyebrow and asks, "And training to be a leader requires you to be tied to a chair for at least two hours? Fascinating." Alison laughs softly, and then sighs and says, "Thanks." "Of course. Listen, I'm gonna sneak back to my bike. I'll meet you at the edge of the road and I can just come to your house if you want. You need a friend tonight. One who doesn't think leadership skills come from made up kidnappings."

Alison laughs again, and then says, "Sounds good. And thanks again, for helping me finish." "Of course. You would've been fine though. Another thirty minutes, and you would've had it." "You think?" "Oh yeah. I'm quite smart you know." Laughing again, Alison says, "Yes, I know. I'll see you in a minute." "Right."

When Alison gets outside and sees her time on the clock the man was using, and he congratulates her, she asks, "What for? It took me two and a half hours." "It took me three when I did it." And Alison can't help but grin at him. It had taken her thirty minutes less. The exact amount of time Nixie said it would've taken had she not shown up to finish it herself.

It was midnight by the time Alison pulled into the drive, and Chris nods to her in approval and says, "Good job." Victoria nods as well, and then both look in surprise when Nixie climbs out of the passenger seat. Holding up her hands, she says, "Hey, I showed up last minute. Everything before that was totally her own doing."

Chris crosses his arms and asks, "How did you even find her?" "That, my dear sir, is confidential information. Highly classified. And unfortunately, you are not yet on the list of people who need to know." As she walks with Alison into the house though, she pats his arm and says, "Don't worry. As soon as the paperwork goes through, I'll let you know." "Paperwork?"

And then he laughs when Nixie says, "Yeah. It's like a six-month process to get on this list of need-to-know people. Didn't you know that?"

In her room, Alison asks, "Six-month process? Really?" "Well, for parents it's a six-month process. For friends my age, it's more of an immediate-access type thing." Alison laughs, and then sighs and asks, "Do you need something to change into before we go to bed?" "Nah… although I might borrow a shirt from you tomorrow. Do I still have a pair of jeans here?" "Yep. Bottom drawer." "Awesome."

Alison looks through her closet for a moment, just to see if she has anything she thinks Nixie could wear. Reaching the leather jacket that Nixie had admired before, Alison then bites her lower lip and asks, "Hey Nixie? When is your birthday?"

Coming out of the bathroom, Nixie asks, "My birthday? Um… well, that was a while ago. Before the second semester started." Spinning to look at her, Alison asks, "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

And Nixie laughs before saying, "Because at the time, the world was going to hell in a hand basket. I wasn't exactly focused on my birthday. And besides, I'm not really a party person anyway." "But I didn't get you anything."

Nixie comes up to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and says, "Sure you did. I got you as a new best friend. All the present I need." "Nixie…" But Nixie just shrugs and says, "Look, I don't need much alright. I just need you guys, safe and unharmed, and calling me if anything about that happens to be in danger of changing. Give me that." "You already have that."

Changing tactics, Alison asks, "What did Scott and Stiles give you? I know they got you something." Nixie raises an eyebrow and says, "Both of them are broke." But Alison crosses her arms defiantly, so Nixie sighs and says, "Scott got me a copy of a Clint Eastwood movie. I like Clint Eastwood. It was a five-dollar movie at most, and I love it. And Stiles…"

Nixie laughs and says, "Stiles gave me a hand-made coupon that says, 'Free coffee orders for a year'." Laughing, Alison asks, "Free coffee?" "Yeah. Stiles always makes me coffee. I think at this point he's the only one who remembers how I like it. And I'm including myself in that when I say that. Which… probably means I haven't actually made my own coffee in a long time. Huh… maybe I should try sometime just to see if I can."

Alison laughs again, and then says, "Alright, but come on. Let me get you something. Anything. Please." "Alright, fine. But only because you look seriously depressed by the fact that you didn't get me anything in the first place. And I don't really know what to tell you to get me. Like I said, I don't need much."

Alison nods as Nixie walks back to the other side of the room. Fingering the jacket in her hand, she mutters to herself, "I'm sure I can think of something."

* * *

Stiles sighs and he shuffles back and forth on his feet, waiting for his turn to climb the rock wall. It wasn't so much the physical exertion he was looking forward to, as just the climbing of the rock wall itself. It's a rock wall. Who wouldn't be a little excited about that? Compared to all the other activities they had to do on a regular basis, this was the most fun in his opinion.

But Scott and Alison were both taking forever. Huffing, he turns to Nixie and asks, "What on earth is taking them so long? Is Scott having trouble?" Nixie tilts her head to listen up where they currently are, and then shakes her head with a grin and says, "No. They're just flirting." Stiles turns to her again and asks, "Flirting? How do you flirt on a rock…"

And then Scott plummets down until he's only about half a foot off the ground. Nixie looks up at Alison with a raised eyebrow, but in all honesty, it had served Scott right. First he'd gone slow to admire Alison from behind her, and then he'd sped up to show off his supernatural speed on the wall. And as a result, Alison gave him a kick.

A kick that sent him to the ground again. Of course, she hadn't meant to do that. And as Alison just grins down at her, Nixie smiles back while shaking her head.

In the process of shaking her head, Nixie's eyes catch sight of Erica standing just off to the left of her. The poor girl looked like she was about to hyperventilate where she was standing already, and she hadn't even walked up to the wall yet.

Erica jumps when Nixie puts a hand on her shoulder. "Erica? You alright?" Erica nods shakily, to which Nixie says, "Yeah, I'm not too fond of this thing either. Bright side though, we only have to do this, like, four times out of the year. This makes three. We're almost done with all of them."

Erica smiles just a little, but then jumps again when Coach shouts, "Alright. Next two. Stilinski, Erica, let's go. The wall."

When Nixie feels Erica tremble beneath her hand, she squeezes and says, "Hey, three minutes tops. And it's all just about trying, okay. You pass so long as you try." Erica nods, and then steps up beside Stiles at the wall.

Stiles, of course, does perfectly well. He's up and down in about a minute, maybe a few seconds over.

Erica hardly makes it halfway up, before she starts gasping for air and freaking out. Nixie looks from Erica to Stiles on the ground. She was about a person and two-thirds of a person up the wall. Not halfway, but certainly high enough to matter and make her freak out.

Coach steps up to the mat and asks, "Erica? Dizzy? Is it vertigo?" Lydia, standing on the other side of Nixie, who is now next to Coach, says, "Vertigo's a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear." Gesturing up to Erica in exasperation, Lydia says, "She's just freaking out."

The hard pinch to her arm makes her jump, and Lydia looks over to find Nixie giving her a hard look before turning her attention back to Erica on the wall. Coach hollers up again, "Erica."

Erica takes a breath and says, "I'm fine."

But the shakiness in her voice suggests she's anything but, and Alison says, "Coach, maybe it's not safe. You know she's epileptic." "Why doesn't anybody tell me this stuff?! And what the hell is that?!"

And he turns to Nixie, who moves past him now, when she says, "A disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures." And she looks to Lydia with a frown and says, "And if she is freaking out, she's aggravating it."

Lydia has the good sense to look a bit ashamed about her earlier impatience, and then Coach steps closer and says, "Erica, you're fine. Just kick off from the wall. There's… there's a mat to catch you."

Erica just grips onto the rocks she has in her hands tighter. Nixie pats Coach on the shoulder and says, "Real encouraging Coach. Stiles…"

Stiles, upon seeing her coming closer, was already working his way out of the harness on his waist. Nixie quickly steps in and Stiles helps hook her up before she climbs up the wall herself, moving so she's right next to Erica.

Smiling, as though there wasn't a care to be had in the world, Nixie says, "Hey. So… how's it going?" Erica, in spite of herself, lets out a slightly apprehensive laugh, before saying, "I… I can't fall… the mat isn't…" "Yeah, I know. The mat is thin and not much good for shit. But, I might be small, but it's all muscle up under here."

Erica gives her a look like she's crazy, but Nixie just moves closer so she's behind Erica's body. Wrapping one arm around Erica's waist, she says, "So… we're going to fall together, okay? Worst case scenario? You land on me and I end up with a headache. And I have ibuprofen in my locker, so that's an easy fix. Sound good?"

Erica finally nods, and then Nixie counts to three so they kick off at the same time. Once Erica's feet hit the ground, they both turn to Coach when he says, "See, you're okay. You're on the ground. You're just fine."

But as Erica unhooks and walks away from the wall, hearing the people beginning to laugh and snicker at her, she feels like she's about to burst into tears all over again.

Well, up until all noise in the gym suddenly stops. Turning to see what happened, she finds only that Nixie is glaring hatefully at everyone else in the room.

Erica had heard about Nixie's stare. She'd even seen it in action in the parking lot earlier in the year.

It was different though, when you were the person on the protected end of those eyes. Erica wasn't strong, and she was epileptic. She had pills to take every day and her life wasn't all that great.

But in that moment, even if just for that one moment, Erica felt like she was kind of untouchable. Like she could take on the world… and the world couldn't do anything bad back to her, because Nixie would glare it into submission.

Scott watched her walk away with a small smile on her face, and then he patted Nixie on the back and says, "Good job. You made her day." And he laughs when Nixie says, "Of course I did. I'm quite wonderful you know." "Yeah, I know. Now, hurry up and change. Stiles wants to talk to us about tonight again."

Nixie sighs as they head towards the locker rooms and asks, "Why do I have to come again? I mean, you I get. You are going with Alison. And Stiles is kind of, sort of, going with Lydia. But me? Who am I going with?" "We could ask Danny." Nixie gives Scott a look and says, "I can't go on a date with Danny. He's gay. Do you know how awkward that would be?"

Scott chuckles and says, "Fine. I don't know what to tell you then. It was Alison that suggested it." "And why is that? You're her secret boyfriend. You should be able to figure something like that out and then tell me these things."

But Alison appears beside them right then and puts an arm around Nixie's shoulders and says, "Because Lydia wasn't really in the mood for this tonight, and the only way I could convince her was to tell her you were coming to."

Nixie ponders that for a moment, and then says, "Okay. That I can work with. At least there's a reason now. Geez Scott. Why couldn't you figure that out?" Scott rolls his eyes while laughing and says, "I'll work harder in the future." "Good. Alright, see you guys in a bit for next period."

Alison and Lydia are still changing when Nixie steps back out into the hall between the locker rooms and the gym. Sighing as she stands there near the doorway, she wonders if Isaac is still okay for now. He hadn't come back to her apartment since that first night, even though she'd called him and told him he was more than welcome.

Isaac was probably a little worried that he'd lose control and hurt her. Which was sweet and all, but Nixie could take care of herself.

She was wondering whether she should shoot him a quick text or not, when she heard panting breaths of exertion coming from inside the gym. Turning the corner and looking at the wall, her eyes widen when she sees Erica scaling it again.

With no harness. And no mat. Seriously?!

And then Erica's body starts to shake and convulse. Shit.

"Scott!" Nixie bolts across the room as fast as she can, putting her body beneath Erica's to try and break her fall. Her arms wrap around Erica's waist and the impact starts sending her careening towards the floor as well, and she knows she's going to have a seriously bad headache after this.

But thankfully, Scott heard her. And instead of Nixie slamming her head and back against the hard floor, Scott caught her in his arms and then helped to lower them both to the ground gently. Nixie quickly turns Erica onto her side, and is about to run to get Coach for help. He, at the very least, could call the hospital or something.

Erica's hand, however, finds hers and clutches it in a vice like grip with both hands. So Nixie settles to her knees and uses her free hand to run smoothly over Erica's hair. Turning towards Scott, Nixie says, "You got here fast." He nods and says, "I… I knew. Before you hollered I mean. I knew."

Alison, now standing behind them with Stiles, asks, "How did you know?" Scott shrugs and says, "I… I just felt it. Like a tremor of my own almost." Nixie nods, and then says, "Well, thank God for that. Otherwise I'd have a serious headache and I'm not sure I could deal with that right this second."

Scott smiles gently at her, and as Erica's convulsions begin to slow, Nixie smooths her hair down some more and says, "It's alright Erica. You're safe now. It's alright."

Erica doesn't let go of her hand until the ambulance arrives to take her away. She only lets go then because Nixie can't convince the people inside to let her go with Erica to the hospital. "I'll miss two classes tops! Come on!"

Squeezing Nixie's hand, Erica says, "It's okay. I'll be okay now." Nixie looks down at her, and then says in a fake stern voice, "You'd better be. Or I'll kick your ass." Erica smiles and laughs at that, and then Nixie steps back as they load her up and haul her away. Sighing, Nixie turns back to the school with Alison and Lydia at her sides and says, "Poor thing." Alison nods and says, "She just wanted to actually do it for herself."

Silence reigns for a moment, and then Lydia says, "I think she stopped taking her medication." Nixie looks over at her and asks, "Why do you think that?" "Because her skin looks clearer than usual. One of the side effects of her medication is acne, and she had it for a while. I think she stopped taking it to try and get rid of that." Nixie sighs and says, "It's really sad what high school prejudice can make us do. High school says acne makes you a freak… so we don't take the medication to stop us from having seizures in the effort to make sure our skin stays 'flawless'."

Alison grins as Nixie rolls her eyes. Putting an arm around her, Alison says, "But it certainly doesn't affect you." "Of course not. I was born to stand out. And why blend in, when you were born to stand out?" Alison nods in agreement while Lydia looks over at Nixie with a new appreciation. Lydia was still trying to fit in. She was still trying to be that popular, hot girl that every guy in school could want.

But Nixie knew the real her. And Lydia knew that if on this very day, she decided to drop all pretenses and be herself, she'd always still have Nixie.

One day, she was going to have to let herself be okay with that. Because trying to pretend she wasn't a genius was actually proving to be exhausting.

But at least for now, even though she was still pretending, she had Nixie back. Sure, she'd gone a little over board with her impatience earlier with Erica, but Nixie was still here. And she'd learned her lesson. Or at least, she hopes she has. Never try to do anything that could potentially hurt Scott or Stiles again.

And if Lydia were to guess, Alison is probably inside that grouping now too.

* * *

In the hallway after class about two or three days later, after they had just watched a documentary on immunities, Lydia was heading towards Nixie's locker, honestly without a care in the world. That's when Jackson gripped her elbow and dragged her off to the side. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Lydia, staring at Jackson in shock, asks, "What?" But Jackson is beside himself, intent on putting the final pieces together of whatever he just figured out. "Show it to me. Show it to me. Come on."

But Lydia is having none of that. Nixie spotted them from up the hall and was about to intervene, when she saw Lydia slap Jackson's hand away and say harshly, "Are you out of your mind?"

Jackson is thrown for a second or two, not having expected her to actually hit him away. But then he veered straight back on track and says, "Nothing happened to you. It's like… It's like you're immune."

The space between Nixie's eyebrows crinkles a little in confusion as she ponders his words. Why on earth was he concerned with Lydia's immunity now? He hadn't been earlier. He hadn't given a damn about her until just now. So what the hell had changed?

Lydia, for her part, is growing just as frustrated as he is. Glaring at Jackson, she says, "I don't know what you're talking about." Jackson pushes her against the wall and says, "It's you. Whatever it is. Blood, saliva… whatever soul-killing substance is running through your veins, you did this to me. You ruined it for me."

Lydia, for her part, was actually afraid now, cringing back into the wall to try and get away from him, but she had nowhere to go.

Jackson missed the part where her eyes looked past him and she suddenly relaxed again. He simply finished with yelling, "You ruined everything!"

And when he turned to leave her there, his face slammed into the fist that was already swinging at him. So unprepared for it, he actually reeled back and nearly fell back into Lydia from the force. But Nixie grabbed him with her extra hand and jerked him away from her and then shoved him off down the hall. He'd have a lump on his jaw for at least a few days, if not a couple of weeks.

Ignoring him, knowing that Jackson at least knew better than to come back again right now, Nixie turns to Lydia and asks, "You alright?" "Yeah." Her voice is shaky, but when Nixie raises a skeptical eyebrow, Lydia says, "I'm fine, really. I just… need a minute. And I need to go check my makeup. I'll see you later." "Alright. You sure?" "Yeah. Positive. I'll see you at lunch later." "Alright then."

* * *

Walking into the cafeteria later, Nixie spots Stiles sitting across from Boyd, trying to take the keys to the ice rink, and failing. Not surprising really. Nixie had often wondered why Boyd never tried out for a sport at school. Sure, maybe the finesse of lacrosse wouldn't really be his style, but there were others. Even though football wasn't exactly the most popular sport at this school, it still existed. Boyd would make a great lineman in her opinion.

Instead, Boyd kept mostly to himself, with only a select few people he called friend. And sometimes, even those weren't set in stone.

Stiles was arguing about the price for 'borrowing' the keys, when Nixie walked up behind him. Boyd switched his gaze to her and smiled gently. He knew the rules that revolved around Stiles and Scott. They weren't to be harmed, or there would be hell to pay. But this… simply making sure Stiles gave him the money promised… this was fine.

And Boyd's grin widened when Nixie gave Stiles a light smack to the back of the head. He in turn jerked around to look at her and asked, "What was that for?!" "For trying to haggle your way out of what you promised to pay him. If you don't have it, you shouldn't have offered it." Stiles throws his hands up spastically and says, "I didn't offer it! That's what he demanded for the keys!"

Raising an eyebrow, Nixie simply says, "And you said yes. So either fork it over, or we don't get to go skating tonight."

"You're going too?" Nixie looks up at Boyd when he asks the question, and she sighs and says, "Yes. Under duress mind you. This thing going off without a hitch apparently hinges on my presence there tonight." Boyd nods, and to Stiles' surprise, starts to just simply hand her the keys.

He might not be willing to bend the price for Stiles. But for Nixie… well, that was different. He'd had a thing for Erica for a while. And even if no one else knew about it, even if Nixie didn't know about it either, it still mattered a great deal to him what she'd done for her. Not just catching her from falling off the rock wall without a harness, but the first time, when Erica had been panicking and Nixie had climbed up to go and get her, instead of simply telling her to fall back down on the mat.

And her eyes. Nixie was infamous for using her eyes in the interest of protecting Scott and Stiles. She'd rarely ever used them for any other purpose. But she'd used them for Erica.

It didn't matter to him that she hadn't done it for him, trying to save the girl he liked from a nasty fall and concussion. She'd done it. As far as he was concerned, Nixie could have the keys for free.

She gave him a look of brief confusion, but took the keys willingly. And then, to his surprise, still smacked Stiles upside the head again when he made to leave excitedly. "What?!" Nixie gives Stiles a look, to which he sighs and finally puts the other thirty dollars down on the table, now totaling fifty.

Boyd grins as Stiles leaves with a huff, and then says to Nixie, "Thanks. You don't have to…" "You were promised fifty, and you will get fifty Boyd. I'm a woman of my word." "Yeah. But Stiles is the one who promised." "Yeah, well, he's a work in progress. And I take responsibility for him. So…" Boyd chuckles and says, "Fair enough. Have fun." "Thanks Boyd. See you around."

Sitting down next to Scott, she puts the keys in his hand and says, "Easy as pie." Stiles snaps his head to look at her and says, "Pie that costs fifty bucks!" "Hey. It's quality pie. Don't hate." Stiles finally just grins at her, and then says to Scott, "Pick you up right after work tonight and we'll meet at the rink. Cool?"

When Scott doesn't nod, Nixie looks to see him taking a rather long whiff of air in through his nose. Leaning closer, she asks, "You smell trouble." "No… I mean… I don't think so. It's… I…"

She watches as his eyes become trained on something across the room, and as she turns to see what he's looking at, even her mouth drops open, along with almost everyone else in the room.

Erica, previously epileptic and shy as hell girl, is now walking into the room in a mini skirt, low cut t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Her blonde hair that was always in disarray before is now curled and styled to perfection. The cheetah print pumps she's wearing add a bit of length and eye drawing attention to her now smooth and flawless legs. She looks gorgeous. She looks like something that walked out of a boy's dirtiest dream.

She looks like she's not the same Erica that Nixie had sent off to the hospital just a couple of days ago.

As Erica bites into an apple, which is apparently considered the sexiest act alive by the general population, Nixie snaps out of her shocked stare when Lydia lightly slams her hands down on the lunch table. Staring at Erica in more annoyance than shock, Lydia asks, "What… the holy hell… is that?"

Nixie forces her mouth shut and answers sarcastically, "I believe in today's day and age we call that a girl. But I'm just guessing." Stiles nods absently, until Scott says, "It's Erica."

It was his tone more than anything else that pulled Nixie and Stiles to look at him for a moment. Then they all shot up from their chairs at the table and made to follow after Erica as she walked back out of the room.

And sure enough, when they made it through the doors to the steps out front, Erica was on the other side of a sleek black car. And Nixie would know that car anywhere. Even if Derek hadn't been sitting behind the steering wheel.

The cheeky grin he gave them once Erica was in the passenger seat set her blood boiling, and she could tell that he could feel the heat of here gaze when his grin slipped a fraction. But even so, he still sped away with Erica by his side. Apparently, school was no longer an issue he felt that Erica needed to worry about.

Stiles was about to say something… anything… about the situation. But instead, he decided to simply point at Nixie to show he concurred with her assessment when she said, "Son of a bitch!"

* * *

Nixie put herself on Lydia duty after school ended that day.

Scott was stressing about Derek turning more people into werewolves. Stiles was stressing with Scott, but more along the lines of how this whole thing might affect Noah and his job and how worried they needed to be about finding new dead bodies on a full moon.

Nixie was worried about all of that too. Now Derek had two wolves. He had Isaac, and he had Erica. And she knew what he was doing. He was preying on the fact that they were weak. Or… not necessarily weak, but the feeling that they were in fact weak. Isaac probably could've taken on his dad if he'd ever tried. But it was his dad, and even if the man had been a complete and total jackass, Isaac had still loved him. And Erica, while on her pills, was actually mostly fine. But high school prejudice pushed her to stop taking her meds, leading her into the weakened and seizure-bound state that she had been in.

He was choosing the outcasts. Those who felt isolated, alone, and weak.

And Nixie was going to hit him in the head with an aluminum baseball bat if she found the opportunity. She still didn't think Derek was all bad. She still didn't hate him or really dislike him. Certainly not as much as she'd hated Kate, or how she felt about Gerard. But this… this was not okay.

He'd called her four times after he'd left the school. She hasn't answered him or listened to his messages. She hopes that gets her point across pretty clearly.

But enough of that. Nixie, in spite of having all of that to worry about, still needed to focus on Lydia.

Something was off. Nixie couldn't tell what. She's not even sure how she knows. But Lydia… something was different. Of course, they already knew that. She'd survived a werewolf bite and wasn't a werewolf. She was definitely something different and special. But this… whatever Nixie was feeling now… this wasn't that. It was something else.

She can't explain it. She just feels like even though Lydia seems perfectly fine on the outside… there's something wrong. And not in the 'fake Lydia' kind of way. Fake Lydia was for at school. Here in Alison's room, the real Lydia was among them. But it was like… almost like Nixie could feel that Lydia was using her real-self as a cover for something deeper. Something that was wrong.

Something that Lydia felt was so wrong or crazy, that she didn't even want to tell Nixie about it.

So… Nixie is on Lydia duty. At least for now. Who knows what's going to happen in the near future. But for now… Lydia duty.

And speak of the devil, Chris Argent gently knocks on the door of Alison's room and asks the girls, "Headed out?"

Alison's quick and short response of, "Studying," was expected. Nixie's silence wasn't. Chris motions Alison over to talk to him, and she says, "Just studying dad." He nods, wrapping an arm around her, and says, "I get it. But we need you to remember what happened."

Alison was honestly about to just shove her dad's arm away and storm out with Lydia and Nixie in tow. But she sighs in relief when Nixie says from behind her, "What happened, was my best friend got lost in the woods, naked, for two days. What happened, was my best friend got attacked by a psychotic werewolf alpha, because you and your men got caught up on the wrong fucking werewolves and didn't do your jobs like you're supposed to."

Chris turns to her and remains quiet when he sees her eyes. Not the evil glaring ones that put red glowing ones to shame. No… Chris looks at her worriedly when he finally determines that Nixie is stressed. Beyond belief.

He would have to work on figuring out exactly why later. Even if she didn't want to tell him everything, he was sure she would tell him something.

Looking back at Lydia, he then turns his gaze to Nixie and Alison again and says, "We just want you to keep an eye on her." Nixie answers immediately, "Both of mine are on her. She'll be fine. Alison?" Alison nods, and then shrugs when Chris gives her a skeptical look. Crossing her arms, she says, "There is no safer place to be then within Nixie's sights."

And when Chris saw no flinch, not even an ounce of hesitation in his daughter's words… it floored him for a moment to realize how firmly she believed that. As far as Alison was concerned, in Nixie's corner, being on that short list of people that Nixie would die for… that was the absolute safest place on the planet to be.

So instead of talking to Alison again, Chris turns to Nixie and says, "Keep an eye on your friend. Make sure everything is okay with her."

All three glance back at Lydia, who has just finished posing for a selfie. Smiling at the picture she just took, Lydia briefly kisses the picture on her phone, to which Nixie actually smiles a little bit. Alison does too and says, "She seems okay to me." Nixie nods to confirm, and then turns back to Alison and says, "I'm gonna grab the bags and head to the car." Nodding, Alison asks, "Did you bring the book?" "I brought four books."

When Chris raises an eyebrow, Nixie asks, "What? This history test is going to be a bitch. And while not my favorite subject, I'm still aiming for an A people. So let's go."

* * *

As they pull into the parking lot at the rink, Alison finally has to ask, "Did you really bring four books?" "Yep." "Why?!" "So if someone asked to actually see the four books, I could pull them out and actually show them four books."

When Alison and Lydia both look into the backseat at her, she shrugs and says, "If you're going to lie, you have to do it convincingly. Leave nothing to doubt. And tell it so well that if you say it enough, even you might start believing it."

Hopping out of the car though, Lydia and Alison laugh when Nixie says, "Of course, lying is wrong, and should only be used in special circumstances." Nodding, Lydia adds, "Like helping Alison have a secret date with Scott." Beaming at Lydia, Nixie says, "Exactly!"

Stiles and Scott are already here, opening the doors and cutting the lights on. And when it comes time to borrow some of the rental skates and Stiles can't find the right key, Nixie just picks the lock with a pin from Lydia.

Shrugging at Stiles, she says, "What? This one doesn't deadbolt. It's fine." "Whatever showoff." But he wraps an arm around her in a hug anyway before handing her a styrofoam cup of coffee.

Lydia watches Nixie's face light up a bit as she takes a sip, and then Nixie asks Stiles, "How'd you know?" He shrugs, but answers, "When Scott called to tell you about his raise, you weren't quite as enthusiastic and you normally would've been. You been sleeping okay?" "Not great. It'll get better though."

Stiles squeezes her shoulder gently and says, "Me and Scott's houses are always open. Any night." "I know. Thanks."

As he walks away to find a pair of skates, it takes all of his willpower not to jump and spaz out when Lydia moves to stand beside him. Her eyes watch as Nixie searches for a pair of skates of her own. Then Lydia asks softly, "Is she okay?"

Stiles glances at Nixie, and then back to Lydia and says, "Yeah. She's just tired. She hasn't been sleeping all that well the past few nights." Lydia nods, and then asks, "And the coffee you brought her? Where'd you get it? I could pick some up in the mornings sometimes for her if I knew what to order."

Stiles smiles gently and says, "It's a sweet thought, and she'd appreciate whatever you got for her. But I don't order Nixie's coffee. I make it myself." Blinking in surprise, Lydia asks, "Why?" "Because Nixie has a set way she likes her coffee and I'm one of the only people who know how to make it the way she likes it."

He ponders that a moment, and then says, "Scratch that. I'm the only one who knows how to make it. Pretty sure she doesn't even remember how at this point." "You make it for her that often?" When Stiles nods and Lydia still looks confused, he says, "She does a lot for me. For both me and Scott. And she doesn't ask for anything, literally anything, in return. So… I make her coffee. It's not much… but it's something I can do for her that really makes her happy."

And when Lydia smiles at him and continues to stay by his side while they look for skates, Stiles doesn't think he's ever been happier about convincing Nixie to become Lydia's friend in the first place.

Out on the ice, Nixie smiles at Stiles' completed shocked face when Lydia does a series of perfect spins in her skates. Lydia had always been a natural.

Nixie was too come to think of it. Sports in general, Nixie had been pretty good at. But swimming and ice skating… actually, pretty much anything to do with water, had always been something she'd excelled at.

And Stiles watches both of them in amazement as they take a speed lap around the entire ring, both actually competing against each other, but also not actually trying to harm the other. Lydia passed in front of Nixie smoothly while Nixie simply switched lanes and came up on her other side, skating backwards now instead of forwards.

Laughing aloud, Lydia says, "Showoff." "Speak for yourself."

Nixie circles around Stiles one time, and he laughs at her before saying, "Next birthday I'll just get you a copy of the key for this place."

Freezing in place, Nixie widens her eyes at him and beams before asking, "You can do that?" "Woman, what can't I do and get away with. I'm the son of the sheriff. I know every loophole there is." Laughing and hugging him tight, Nixie then takes off again at high speed.

Stiles turns back when he feels a hand slip into his. Smiling at Lydia, who grins up at him, he then smiles wider when Lydia says, "Come on. Let's go." And she begins to lead him around the rink, keeping his hand in hers.

And he'd been worried this evening would suck, even with Nixie here to help ensure it didn't. How could he have ever doubted it?

And then, of course, the terrible came back in.

Nixie was taking another backwards lap around the rink, loving how graceful she felt while she was on the ice. But she broke stride and nearly fell on her face when Lydia's scream suddenly broke through the pleasant calm and silence that had enveloped the room.

Stiles was already with her, holding her arms and trying to figure out what was wrong. Nixie sped over and skidded to a halt in front of Lydia, dropping down on the ice as soon as she was there. Looking down to where Lydia kept brushing away at the ice, Nixie asks, "What? What's wrong? Lydia…" "He's there… He's right there… He's…"

Nixie looks up at her, at the sheer terror on her face. "Lydia, no one's there." "No, he was here. He was right there. I… I saw… I saw it… I…"

Gripping Lydia's face in her hands, Nixie forces Lydia to look at her instead of the ice. "Lydia, look at me. Focus on me." Lydia meets her gaze, and after a moment lets out a shuddering breath. "I… I saw… I really did see…" "Sh… hush now Lydia. I believe you. But look now."

Lydia looks back again, and there's nothing. There's no flower sticking up out of the ice. There's no face beneath the frozen surface. Back to Nixie, Lydia whispers softly, "What's wrong with me?" Nixie gives her a stern look and says, "Nothing. Not a damn thing. You are wonderful and awesome. You were traumatized earlier this year. That's all. You are fine."

Stiles waits until he feels the tension leave Lydia's arms. Then he draws her back into him so she rests against his chest wearily. Rubbing up and down her cold arms, he says, "You're alright Lydia. Everything's gonna be okay." Nixie nods in agreement, and then glances over to where Alison and Scott are waiting.

Gently brushing Lydia's cheek with her hand, she says, "I'll be back." Then she moves over to Alison and Scott. Sighing, she says, "I think we should call it a night." Scott nods and asks, "Who does she think she saw?" "I don't know for sure. But if I had to guess…"

Scott meets her gaze, and then sighs and says, "Peter." "Bingo." Nodding, he takes Alison's hand and says, "Alright. Let's go ahead and head on home. Will you girls be okay?" Alison nods, though she looks to Nixie for confirmation of that. And when Nixie nods as well, she adds, "We'll be fine. I might stay at Lydia's tonight, just to make sure she feels safe. I'll keep you posted if anything changes."

* * *

Nothing changes of course. Nixie doesn't push Lydia to tell her what happened. She doesn't want to make Lydia freak out again. And Lydia still doesn't want to say what exactly it is she's seeing.

But Nixie knows it's not nothing. Lydia can say that all she wants. But all through the night, Lydia never let go of Nixie's hand. In fact, at one point, Nixie was pretty sure Lydia was trying to break her hand from how tightly she was holding it.

But other than her own feeling that Lydia was obviously not telling her something, nothing changed. Which, Nixie supposes is at least a good thing for now. And as she leaves Lydia in the hall to head to her locker and change out books, she was almost content with the idea that perhaps at least the morning would go over smoothly.

Then Nixie saw Erica and Scott down the hall; Erica talking about what it was like to have a seizure, and how angry she was that some genius put cameras in peoples' phones so they could take videos and post them online.

Nixie can handle Erica bitching about her seizures. They had indeed been a bitch. But when Erica knocks Scott up against the lockers behind him, gets in his face as though trying to seduce him, Nixie marches up to them.

Erica was smirking at Scott with knowing eyes, convinced she had him where she wanted him, until a hand grabbed her by the back of her jacket and yanked her back hard. And since she hadn't been prepared for it, she was actually jerked back a good two feet.

She was ready to turn and growl at whoever had dared to touch her, but then froze when she saw Nixie glaring at her.

Moving over to Scott's side, glancing at him briefly to make sure he's okay, Nixie then says to Erica, "You should leave. And you should leave my boy alone." Erica glances between the two of them, and then takes an additional step back to show she's backing off. Nixie nods in approval, and then slips her hand into Scott's elbow so he can walk her down the hall.

She turns back to Erica though and says, "Erica. I helped you. I liked you. And I still, at this point, don't regret any of that." Erica smiles a little at that, but it slips a little and turns into a worried frown when Nixie warns, "Don't make me change my mind about that."

Scott sighs when they get further up the hall. "Thanks Nix." "Sure. Did you manage to get anything out of her?" "No. But I know Derek has to be looking for at least one more person. That's if he hasn't already chosen one." Nixie nods, and then sighs and says, "We'll just have to stay vigilant. See if we notice anyone in particular missing or anyone in particular acting abnormal."

They both glance back when they hear a crash from down the hall behind them. Stiles has managed to slam himself into his own open locker, and is spastically trying to unhook himself from the hook on the door. And Scott can't help but chuckle when Nixie says, "Well… more abnormal than usual, I should say."

When they reach the lunchroom, Nixie sitting on Scott's right side, she taps his shoulder and says, "Alison at your six."

Of course, Scott most definitely already knew that, but Nixie's way of pointing it out always made both Alison and Scott grin, so she kept on pointing it out, even though it was obvious. Sighing, Scott says, "I know what it looked like, but Erica came up to me."

From behind them, Alison says, "I'm not jealous." Scott grins in both relief and amusement, and then asks, "You're not?" And Alison can't help but grin a little again when Nixie says, "Of course she's not. She knows that one of my favorite things about you and Stiles is how dedicated you are to your true loves. She's very aware she has nothing to worry about on your part, even if Erica is trying to be a seducing slut."

Alison then says, "She's with Derek now, isn't she? Like Isaac." When Scott doesn't answer, Alison continues, "You can't get caught in the middle of this. Don't you feel what's happening? My grandfather coming here, Derek turning Erica and Isaac, it's…" Alison clears her throat worriedly, and then nods when Nixie finishes for her, "It's like battle lines are being drawn."

Scott nods too and says, "I know." Alison turns her head just slightly so they can better hear her and says, "There's always crossfire." Scott sighs and asks, "What am I supposed to do? I can't just stand by. I can't pretend to be normal." Alison shakes her head and says, "Scott, I don't want you to be normal. I want you to be alive."

She makes to leave, but when Nixie turns enough to grip her arm gently, Alison remains to hear what she has to say. "Alison, I love you. And I'm on board with the idea of wanting Scott to stay alive. Very much on board."

Alison turns enough to look at her, knowing she's not going to like whatever she hears next. And still, she's not mad when Nixie says, "But you can't ask him to not get involved. That's asking Scott to be the kind of person who does nothing… who sits by while people get hurt. And that's not who he is. That's not who we are. We're better. We know things. We've seen things."

Releasing Alison so she can leave if she wants, Nixie adds on a final note, "Having been through what we've been through doesn't earn us a break. It actually demands that we use what we know to try and save as many people as possible. Doing less than that… it's an insult to our character."

No one else speaks for a moment, but Nixie feels Alison give her shoulder a comforting squeeze. She does the same to Scott, and then walks away, bumping into Stiles on the way.

Stiles dashes over to them and quickly bends down between them and says, "Guys, do you see that?"

Nixie and Scott look to where he's pointing, and Scott asks, "What? It's an empty table." But Nixie's eyes widen as Stiles says, "Yeah, but whose empty table?"

"Boyd." Stiles and Scott look at Nixie when she says it. Staring at the empty table, Nixie then turns to both of them and says, "No… he… he can't seriously…"

But yes… Derek most definitely would. All three hop up and head back into the school halls, working out a plan as they go. Scott runs a hand through his hair and says, "I'm gonna go to the ice rink and see if he's there." To Stiles, he says, "You check his house. If he's not there, call me. Got it?"

When Stiles doesn't answer immediately, Nixie nudges him and says, "Hey. You with us?" "Yeah, it's just…" "What?" He looks at her worriedly, but then says, "Maybe we should let him. Boyd, you know, guys?"

He half expected her to slap him immediately in the back of the head. When all she did was stare at him, Stiles worried that maybe, possibly, he'd somehow managed to break her. Then she finally said, "You have a minute to explain to me why in the hell you think that's a good idea."

He sighs, but then says, "Look, Scott said that Derek's giving them a choice right?" Scott is the one who grabs Stiles arm to make him move again while saying, "We can't." Stiles huffs and says, "You both have to admit, Erica looks pretty good. You know, the word 'sensational' comes to mind."

Nixie does slap him in the back of the head at that, and Scott asks, "How good to you think she's gonna look with a wolfsbane bullet in her head?" Stiles sighs again and says, "Alright, all I'm saying is maybe, this one isn't totally your responsibility."

Nixie is the one who huffs this time, and she asks, "Where were you when I was giving my speech five minutes ago? It's totally our responsibility. And yes, I said 'our'. Not Scott's. Ours." Scott nods and says, "They all are. And you know this thing's gonna get out of control. So even if it weren't already our responsibility, that part makes me responsible."

Stiles looks between the two of them for a moment, and then says, "Alright, I'm with you. And I also got to say, this newfound heroism Scott, is making me very attracted to you." "Oh shut up." "No seriously. Do you want to just try making out for a sec?"

Scott shoves him forward even as Stiles says, "Just to see how it feels!" Nixie rolls her eyes and asks, "And what? I'm not being heroic?" Stiles turns to her with a grin and says, "Yeah, but that's not new for you."

And he chuckles when Nixie says, "Ah. I actually feel bad for hitting you in the head now. You get a free shot." "Nah. I'll just call you at three in the morning sometime with a last-minute math question. That'll make up for it." "Fine. But you'd better also be bringing me coffee that morning." "Of course. I'm a little crazy, but I'm not suicidal."

* * *

When Stiles texted to meet at the animal clinic, she hadn't realized it would be closed. Sighing as she sits on her bike, wondering what in the hell is taking him so long, she jumps when Deaton's car pulls into the parking lot.

Climbing out, Deaton looks at her first and asks, "Did you happen to trip my alarm?" Eyes widening, Nixie says, "No, I swear. I have literally just been sitting here. I have not touched anything." "Very well. And that leaves the question of who did. Please wait here."

She listens to him for all of a second after he enters, and then she follows after him, pausing behind the main counter when she hears Chris saying, "I was wondering if you could give me your medical opinion on what killed this man."

Nixie enjoys Deaton's simple and calm reply of, "I don't know if you saw the sign out there, but this is just an animal clinic."

But Chris answers back, in that tone of voice that Nixie has grown to hate, "I'm aware of that. I'm also aware, you're not just a vet."

And Chris is quite honestly ready to possibly threaten revealing all of Deaton's practices to a few people that he certainly wouldn't want to know. And then Nixie blew past Deaton into the room, right in Chris' space.

Deaton found himself stunned again with how much influence and prowess she carried with her. Chris had been all intimidation and tactics just seconds ago. And now…

Well, now he looked ashamed at having been caught. Nixie glares up at him and says, "Are you seriously… seriously?!... about to threaten Scott's boss? Are you seriously about to do that right now?!"

When he doesn't respond, Nixie grits her teeth and growls through them herself. A very human growl, but it served the appropriate effect. She was pissed and stressed, more so than usual, and Chris knew backing off at this point was his best option.

Deaton, from behind Nixie, says, "I'll send you a report when I'm finished." Chris nods, and then reaches out as though to possibly touch Nixie's shoulder. When she bristles at the mere sight of his hand though, he lets it drop and simply backs away. She hadn't called him Argent yet. She wasn't shutting him out yet. But she was close. Very close.

As soon as he was gone, Nixie sighs and says, "You don't have to examine him if you don't want. I'll help get rid of it. And I can take Chris if he comes back. Done it before and will do it again." Deaton pats her on the shoulder and says, "I have no doubt about that. But, in retrospect, I am curious about what killed this man as well. I think it's in all of our best interests if I take a look anyway."

Nixie nods, and is about to ask if he needs help. But then her phone rings, and upon seeing Scott's name, she answers and asks, "Hey. Did you find him?" For a second she doesn't hear anything. And then she hears a roar at the other end of the line that makes a chill shoot up her spine. Shutting off her phone, she says, "Shit. I have to go. I'll be back." "Go my dear. I'll be here."

* * *

Her bike is as slow as ever, even as she pedals as hard as she possibly can. Where the hell was Stiles with his jeep?

When she pulls up to the ice rink, she drops her bike outside and sprints for the doors, praising God when she finds them unlocked and open.

That's where her good fortune and thanks ends though. When she reaches the actual rink, her eyes widen and her entire body freezes in fear. Scott is on the ground, beneath Derek's crushing boot, and it honestly looks like Derek is about to hit him again, even though Scott is beaten and bleeding on the ground beneath him.

"SCOTT!"

Isaac, Erica, and Boyd all turn to her in shock. But then they all snap their attention to Derek in even more shock. They were his beta werewolves now. They knew he was planning on giving Scott at least one more good blow, one more final shot, as though to send the point home that he shouldn't be trying to stop Derek, an alpha, from doing what he wanted.

But at Nixie's voice, at the horror he heard in it, Derek ceased all activity. His head snapped up so fast to see her that Isaac wondered if he would have whiplash from it. And where Derek had been wolfed out a second ago, all of his features quickly morph back into normal human features as Nixie scrambles towards the ice.

Hopping over the gate and hurrying towards him as fast as she can, Nixie drops to Scott's side and says, "Scott? Scott, look at me. Scott? Are you okay? Say something. Anything. Scott, please…"

It's when a tear actually falls from her eye that Derek realizes he might've gone a bit too far. Stepping up to them, he says, "I didn't kill him. I would never do that to you. I just…" "DON'T TOUCH HIM!"

Derek snaps back and recoils at the venom in her voice. Nixie focuses again on Scott, brushing the hair from his forehead, watching his features return to normal again. When his eyes open and he looks up at her, he smiles wryly and says, "Hey. Sorry. I shouldn't have tried to call you. I just…" "Don't be an idiot. You're always supposed to call me. For anything. And everything."

Scott smiles and nods his head, and then winces as he tries to sit up. Derek takes a step closer again, as though to help him stand.

Nixie snaps towards him again and says, "GET THE FUCK BACK! LEAVE US ALONE!" Grabbing Scott's arm, she asks softly, "Can you stand?" "I think so." "Alright. Here we go." She helps him to his feet, and then throws his arm over her shoulders and wraps one arm around his waist.

Looking to the other three, and then to Derek, Nixie then hisses, "Where is Stiles?" Derek hesitates only a moment, and then turns to Erica and nods. Erica, for her part, cringes back when Nixie's glaring eyes snap in her direction. "He's… I… He's…" "WHERE IS HE?!"

Erica jumps visibly, and then says, "He's in a dumpster at the end of Boyd's block."

The volume of the silence that follows is deafening. Nixie stares so long at Erica that Derek wonders for a moment if Nixie completely understands what Erica just said. But as he moves to come closer again, she snaps her eyes to him and seethes, "I said don't touch us. Get the fuck back."

The other three don't miss how, while Derek doesn't touch her or Scott, he also doesn't leave. And he might not get any closer, but he follows and keeps the same distance between him and Nixie until she manages to half drag and half carry Scott to the gate and get him on solid ground again.

When she deposits him on the bench, Nixie comes back to the gate where Derek is standing. He sighs and says, "Look, I…" "Shut up." Glaring up at him, she says, "You are a fucking asshole. And if you touch either of my boys again, I will beat you within an inch of your life, and then I'll kill you."

To the other three, who are staring at Derek in shock because he doesn't contest her claim, Nixie then says, "And if any one of you even so much as tries to call me for anything, I will beat you into unconsciousness with an aluminum bat. I don't care how many times I have to swing to make it happen. I'll do it all night if I have to. So don't any of you dare call me. Not for a damn thing."

Back to Derek, who still can't get over the tears in her eyes, she says, "Get the fuck out." She turns back to Scott, but pauses when Derek says, "I never would've killed him." Coming back up to him, getting in his face, she says, "I don't care if you weren't planning to kill him. You hurt him. You hurt my boy. And if I didn't have to go pick up Stiles right now, I would work on finding a way to knock all of your teeth down your throat."

Derek withers a little under her angry eyes, but then his eyes widen in shock when more tears begin to fall and she looks at him sadly instead of angrily. Shoulders slumping in defeat, she asks helplessly, "Why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep…" She gestures to him as though that were all the further explanation necessary. Taking a shaky breath, she hardens her voice as much as she can and says, "Don't call me again. I so much as feel like I'm about to get a call from you on my phone, and I'll hit you in the head enough times to make sure you permanently forget my number."

And with that, she grabs Scott and helps him out the doors.

And as if the day couldn't get any worse, now it's raining. Fantastic. Sighing, Nixie says, "Come on. We should get to the clinic. I'm pretty sure I can convince Deaton to let me borrow his car so I can get Stiles. And besides, you two should probably have a talk.

It was as though Deaton had read her mind. Because no sooner had she and Scott walked in, Scott wondering aloud, "Why aren't the scratches healing?", then Deaton said, "Because they're from an alpha." He looks to Nixie for a moment, and then looks back to Scott and says, "I think maybe we better have that talk now."

Nixie smiles a little at him and says, "Your timing couldn't be more perfect Doc." He nods gently to her, and then hands her a tissue from one of his tables. At her look of confusion, he says, "Your eyes are rimmed with red. You've been crying. And you haven't been getting enough sleep. Could I convince you to rest here for a while?"

Nixie shakes her head and says, "I need to go get Stiles. Can I borrow your car?" He hands her the keys without hesitation, and then turns to Scott and says, "One of you should maybe look into putting Nyquil in her coffee one night. She needs a full eight hours, at least once and a while."

Nixie finally laughs at him, and then says, "I'll go to sleep as soon as I get Stiles and figure out he's safe. Promise." "Good."

And true to her word, after she gets Stiles out of the dumpster and returns with Deaton's car, she climbs into the back seat and tiredly says, "Stiles?" He looks back at her and asks, "Yeah Nix?" "Can I stay at your house tonight?" "Of course Nix. You feeling alright?" "Yeah. Just… disappointed. And tired. Not a good combination." "Tell me about it."

Sighing as she falls asleep, she can't help thinking about Derek. Nixie had such high hopes for him. She felt like he had so much potential. And yet… he kept on doing these things that made her want to strangle him. It was exhausting, trying to figure out if she could actually trust him with anything… hope for him to become the person she believed he could be… or if it would be better to just cut him loose altogether.

But that last one isn't really an option. Because Nixie doesn't just cut people loose. It's not in her nature. Never has been. And never will be.

Damn it.

* * *

And here is Chapter 3. Yay! As always, I hope you're enjoying it. And Chapter 4 will follow soon. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 4: Episode 2x4

Nixie's not sure how long she managed to sleep. Maybe an hour. Maybe not even that long. All she knows is that headlights shining in through her window wake her up, and she lifts her head to see that Chris is back… along with Gerard and a couple of other guys.

She's still at the clinic, which means Stiles' must've finally gotten someone from the tow company to get his jeep into the shop. He'd probably thought about taking her with him, but she'd been asleep, and he probably also hadn't wanted to disturb her.

Dummy. Nixie would much rather be with him than here with the Argents, where she couldn't do anything. As far as she knew, Gerard still didn't know any of them were involved in the supernatural world, and that's how they needed to keep it, at least for now. So for the time being, Nixie ducked back down in the car as they climbed out and entered the clinic. She could only hope that Scott was already hidden away in a backroom, and that Chris or Gerard wouldn't think to go and check to see if anyone else was there.

She waited there in the back of Deaton's car until she heard the other vehicles start up again and pull away from the building. Sighing, she then sat up and got out of the car, walking inside and into the back. And upon seeing her enter the room, Deaton smiles gently and says, "I was going to say I should work on getting a better closed sign again… but I think I'll let you and Scott be the exceptions."

Smiling back, Nixie says, "Thanks Doc. Where's he at?"

Scott comes out from a medical supply room at her question, and then asks, "Are they gone?" Nixie shrugs and says, "Well, they drove away. They're gone for now at least. Not sure how long we can actually call them gone though. If they keep on coming back to Deaton with questions, you're going to have a serious problem hiding from them Scott. You can't just always conveniently disappear." Scott nods and runs a hand through his hair. Sighing, he says, "This is all getting really complicated, really fast." "Yeah. And we thought we were screwed before."

Scott gives her a look, but grins at her nonetheless and asks, "Where's Stiles?" "Not sure. Figured he got a tow for his jeep and went to check on it. He didn't tell you?" "No, but you're probably right. I'll call him later."

But as Scott was about to go into more details about what Deaton had already said about the dead body on the table, Nixie's phone rang. Upon seeing Stiles number, she says, "It's Stiles, hold on."

Swiping across the phone, Nixie asks, "Yeah?" "Nix…"

Stiles voice doesn't just sound scared. It sounds choked… like if he had the ability to speak louder, he would. But he couldn't. Something was stopping him… holding him back… preventing him.

Someone had him.

Scott had been about to ask a question, but immediately stepped back and closed his mouth when Nixie asked, "Where are you?" "Ar… Armor… I…" "I'm coming. Stiles, don't you dare die."

Hanging up, she calls 911 and the minute someone picks up, she says, "Someone needs to get to the Armor, Tire & Service Center. I think my friend is being attacked there or something. Go now please. This is Nixie by the way."

Hanging up again, Nixie then turns to Scott and asks, "You're meeting Alison right?" "I was. But…" "No… go and meet her. I'll keep you updated and you can fill her in. And if she has anything new to offer, let me know." "Got it."

Nixie glances at Deaton, and then says, "Thanks for lending me your car earlier. I'll be sure to come around again and give you a more proper thank you." "Of course. Do you need to borrow it again?" "No. I'm pretty sure at this point I can cut through the back alleys faster than your car will get me there this time. But thanks."

When she gets to Armor, the police and an ambulance are already there. Bypassing the slight crowd and a few of the other cops trying to keep people back, she spots Stiles on the back of the ambulance as he says, "I told you, I just… I walked in, and I saw the jeep on top of the guy. That's all."

Noah, sitting next to his son, watches him as he fidgets with his hands and asks, "What's wrong with your hand?"

Because Stiles was massaging his right one, as though trying to make the feeling come back to it. And Stiles doesn't know how to explain it to his dad. How did you explain, to someone who didn't yet believe, that you had been drugged with a paralytic toxin that had paralyzed you? No… Stiles, didn't know how to do that. So he just shook out his hand and says, "Nothing. Can I just get out of here now?"

Noah gives his son a look; one that clearly says, 'I don't think you're telling me everything you know'. Then he says, "Look, if there's something you don't think you can tell me…" "You think I'm lying?!"

"Of course he doesn't." Stiles jerks his head up at the sound of Nixie's voice, and Noah watches his entire body relax when Nixie is finally standing right in front of him. Her hands run up his arms, over his shoulders, back to his hands, and then she cups his face in her hands. Meeting his eyes with her own, she asks, "Are you okay?" "I'm alright Nix." "Who did it?" Stiles smiles gently and says, "I don't know who killed the guy. I wasn't here for that."

Nixie nods in understanding. Stiles would have to talk to her later. But for now… he was okay. He was mostly unharmed. That was all that mattered.

Breathing a sigh of relief for herself, she then says, "Of course he doesn't think you're lying. Right Noah?" Noah nods to her and to Stiles, and then says, "I'm just worried about you. Now, if you saw someone do this, and if you're afraid that maybe they're gonna come back and make sure you don't say anything about it…"

"Stiles isn't afraid of that." Noah looks up at Nixie again, and then to Stiles who shrugs, but nods his head. Noah then asks, "And why wouldn't he be afraid of that?" And in unison, both Stiles and Nixie say, "Because they have to go through her first."

Well, Nixie said, 'Because they have to go through _me_ first', but same point. When Noah looks between the two of them in awe for a moment, Stiles just shrugs again and says, "I've been told enough times that all horrors of the world are going to have to go through Nixie first before they get to me. I firmly believe it. So… yeah, I wouldn't be afraid of that dad. And I didn't see anything. At all. So can I go now, please?"

Noah sighs, but then says, "Sure. But not in your jeep." At Stiles shocked expression, Noah explains, "Sorry kid. It's evidence. Gotta impound it." Stiles huffs and runs a weary hand over his head before then saying, "Alright, well, just make sure they wash it at least, please!"

Noah walks away with a slightly amused shake of his head. Then Stiles looks up at Nixie and says softly, "We need to talk. Not here though." "I've got my bike. If you want to pedal I can sit in your lap. A tight fit, but we can pull it off."

Stiles nods, and as soon as they finally manage to reach his house without crashing, he sighs as they hop off and says, "We really need to get your other bike up and running." "I know."

In his room, Nixie sits on the edge of his bed and asks, "So… what really happened?" Stiles sighs and says, "It was… it was that freaky lizard looking thing that Scott and Alison saw a few weeks ago. I was in there and the guy fixing my jeep was making way too many corrections. He said it was gonna cost me close to fifteen hundred bucks!"

Flopping down onto the bed behind her, Stiles throws his arms over his eyes and says, "There was this stuff on the handle of the office door when I opened it. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I just thought it was something gross from the shop. But then I went to pull out my phone. I was going to text you and Scott about the jeep and make sure you knew where I was. But then… then I just… I couldn't move my fingers. I couldn't bend them anymore. And then I started feeling it stretch up my arms. And then I couldn't even talk after a while and I fell to the floor. And then…"

Stiles shudders at the memory, and says, "Then the lizard thing sliced the guys neck with his tail, and he fell on the ground beneath my jeep. And then the jeep started lowering down from the ceiling. And it crushed him. And I couldn't do anything. I couldn't move. I couldn't scream. I almost couldn't call you. I tried the police first, but I kept messing up the numbers… so I just aimed for one, and I missed that the first three times. And then I was worried you might not even be able to hear me when I tried to speak into the phone."

To that, Nixie says, "I'll always hear you." Stiles finally smiles a little and says, "I know." Sighing again, he says, "Anyways. Then the cops showed up. But by then… I could finally move again, for the most part. My hand still felt weird. It still feels weird now, but at least it's moving. And I made up the story about simply walking in and finding him there. And now we're here, discussing how I lied to the police to protect them from knowledge of the supernatural."

Nixie nods, and then pats his shoulder and says, "You're okay now Stiles." "I know. But that thing… it got right in my face. It… screeched at me. It wasn't so much a roar as a screech. But then it just left. Like… it wasn't there for me. It wanted to warn me that it could've hurt me, if it had wanted to. But it didn't. It just left me there."

Nixie nods again, and then when her phone rings, she glances down to see Scott calling. She lets Stiles see the name, and then she hits speaker phone and says, "Hey Scott. I'm with Stiles. You got Alison?" "No... I think she got held up. I left her a little message, so I'm sure she'll call one of us later though. How's Stiles?"

Nixie glances at Stiles, and then says, "He's alright. Safe and unharmed, which is the point for now. We need to talk though. That thing you and Alison saw… it's back." Stiles nods and says, "And you were right. It's not like you. It's eyes… they were almost reptilian." Nixie squeezes Stiles shoulder for comfort, and then says, "You should just come here Scott." "On my way."

When he arrives at Stiles house and gets upstairs, Nixie is asking, "What do you mean?"

Walking in, Scott asks, "What are we talking about?" Nixie turns to him, and then says, "The lizard. Stiles says there was something else about the eyes on this thing." Scott nods and looks to Stiles for more, same as Nixie. Stiles ponders for a moment on how to explain, and then says, "You know when you see, like, a friend in a Halloween mask, but all you can actually see are their eyes, and you feel like you know them, but you just can't figure out who it is?"

Nixie nods while Scott asks, "Are you saying you know who it is?" Stiles shakes his head and says, "No. But I think it knew me." Nixie takes his hand in hers and says, "Maybe that's another reason why it didn't want to hurt you. Maybe it knows you." "Yeah, but then who is it?"

They all fall silent at that. Well, until Stiles and Scott both chuckle when Nixie asks, "But when I dressed up for Halloween in the past, you guys always knew it was me. I even tried really hard once to make sure you couldn't tell, and you still knew it was me." Stiles wraps an arm around her and says, "Yeah, but your eyes are exceptionally distinctive. People who've only ever seen you once couldn't even forget your eyes." "Oh whatever."

Stiles then looks up at Scott and sighs before asking, "So… what do you have to report? I think I've effectively complained about my night for as long as I'm able."

So Scott fills Stiles in on the body in Deaton's clinic, and on Boyd officially being another of Derek's beta werewolves. By the time everyone is officially caught up with everything, it's well past midnight. Scott sighs as he looks at the time and says, "I'm lucky mom's on nightshift. She'd freak out if she knew I wasn't already in bed."

Nixie nods, and then sighs and says, "Stiles… you mind if I just chill on the floor?" "Um, yes. You don't get put in the floor!" "Because I'm a girl? I'm offended." "Not because you're a girl. Because you're Nixie, and you shouldn't sleep in the floor." "We go through this every time." "Yeah, and I always win. Because I'm right." "Whatever. I'm taking the recliner though." "Fine. But then you get the nicer quilt too."

Scott chuckles at them, and then once they're settled, he leaves to head home.

For a while after that, Nixie stares at the ceiling, occasionally glancing at Stiles to remind herself that he's here, and that he's safe.

Whatever this thing was… it didn't want Stiles. At least, not yet. But what was to say it wouldn't change it's mind. They'd gotten lucky last night. That was all. And Nixie didn't like that. She didn't like relying on luck to be the reason her boys and the rest of her people were kept safe. Luck wasn't reliable. It was flimsy. It couldn't be counted on to always be there.

She could. And so with a determined nod, and knowledge of the fact that she was probably going to lose a lot more sleep over this… she determined to keep herself closer to them for now. Her apartment was going to be pretty much abandoned for a while, because she would be staying with either Scott or Stiles until this problem was resolved.

Not that she really had a problem with that. Not at all.

* * *

Derek was trying to teach them to fight, to attack… to be ready to take on whatever came at them.

But Isaac had pulled the same exact sequence of moves about ten times in a row now. Like he thought Derek would suddenly forget what he'd just done and not expect him to do it again. And though Erica had gone a little outside of the norm and jumped at him from the top of the abandoned rail car, he'd still heard her coming.

Sighing as he looked at both of them on the ground, Derek turns his back to them and asks, "Does anyone want to try not being completely predictable?"

Which is when Erica jumped up, wrapped her legs around his waist, and started kissing him. And it was good. She was a good kisser. Sort of. She liked to bite, and Derek wasn't into that. Which made it easy for him to toss her back onto the ground. Wiping at his lip, glaring at her, he says, "That's the last time you do that."

Boyd, for his part, moves over to maybe help Isaac and Erica. Though he's a little unsure as to whether Erica simply kissed Derek to try and take him off guard, or whether she might actually have a thing for him.

Didn't seem like she did though when she responded in her saucy and slightly offended manner, "Why? Because I'm not her?" Derek looks to her again, and at his confused expression, Erica smirks and asks, "What? You didn't think we noticed how last time you saw her, everything shifted? You were ready to knock Scott out for the count, and then she showed up and you just… backed off. You just stopped… like she was…"

Derek cuts her off and says, "No. It's because I have someone else in mind for you."

Erica's not quite sure how she feels about that. Boyd steps up behind her and says in a calmer and more simply curious manner, "She's right though. Nixie showed up, and you just… you quit." When Derek simply looks at him, waiting for the question there, Boyd shrugs and says, "I mean… I guess we're all wondering why? She's not like us. She's Scott's friend… who isn't even in our pack. So… why stop for her? Why listen to her? Why…"

Derek gives them all a hard look, and then says, "Nixie isn't in our pack. But she is always on the side of protecting what she's deemed to be hers. And last year, for a while, that included me. And I've seen the lengths she's willing to go trying to protect the people she cares about."

Glaring at each of them hard, he says, "She is off limits, as far as claws and physical abuse goes. If I find out any of you has hurt her intentionally, I will personally break every bone you have… repeatedly… until they stop healing in the proper place anymore. Got it?"

All three nod, and then Isaac asks, "So… are we done? Because, I got about one hundred bones that need a few hours to heal."

Derek gives him a look of compassion, which Boyd instantly backs away from. Compassion wasn't something Derek was particularly good at. Well, except where Nixie was concerned apparently. So Boyd knew that whatever was coming… it wasn't good.

And sure enough, rather than helping Isaac, Derek broke his arm. Snarling slightly, Derek says, "One hundred and one. You think I'm teaching you how to fight? Huh? Look at me! I'm teaching you how to survive!"

Derek doesn't see the looks in their eyes… not until a resounding metal clang sounds and he finds himself falling forward.

Erica, Isaac, and Boyd all stare at her in shock when they see Nixie standing there, metal pipe in her hands, behind where Derek had just been.

Derek rises to his feet snarling, but upon seeing her, he ceases coming after her. Glaring though, he asks, "What the hell was that for?" "For you being an ignorant bastard. Look at them."

He does, and for the first time registers the fear in their eyes. Back to Nixie, he forces his fangs to retract, and then she says, "You're scaring the shit out of them." He nods and says, "The world is a scary place. They need to know that." "They already know that you idiot. All three of them already know that this world sucks. That's why you chose them, even if you didn't realize it at the time."

Glancing at all three of them, she then looks back at Derek and says, "Making them afraid of you though? Not the way to go. Control through fear is flimsy… unbalanced… and hard to hold onto. Because eventually, fear turns to anger, and anger to hate, and hate to vengeance."

Stepping up closer to Derek, Nixie says, "So come up with something better, oh great and powerful alpha. Because as far as I'm concerned, you are only proving me right." "About what?" And he flinches back as though slapped when she says, "That you do not have the required patience or brains to be a good alpha. At this rate, you're turning into a slightly milder version of Peter. And so help me, if you turn into any version of him, I'll kill you myself."

Then she backs up a step, moving to Isaac. Bending down to him, she takes his broken arm and then looks in his eyes and says, "Don't you dare snap at me." He nods, and then cries out when she sets the bone back in place. But he keeps himself in control, and smiles at himself for it.

Well, until Nixie drops his arm and backs away immediately. She didn't offer the same comfort she had before. And he knew that was their fault, for what they'd tried to do to Scott.

Standing before all of them again, Nixie says to Derek, "I'm here to warn you." Derek raises an eyebrow and asks, "About what? The Argents? I'm already telling these guys everything I…" "I'm aware that you are informing them about the Argents. I'm talking about the other thing." "Other thing?" "Derek, are you really this stupid?"

He ponders for a moment what she might be talking about, and then says, "You mean the thing that killed Isaac's father. I didn't know you and Scott were dealing with that." "It wasn't exactly at the top of our priority list until last night." Derek waits for her to explain what happened, but she doesn't. Instead she simply says, "It's… some kind of lizard looking them. Reptilian at least. It's claws are exceptionally long, about as long as yours when you grow them out. And it has a tail."

Derek was glancing down at his hand, knowing his own claws were larger than most, but his eyes shot up to her when she said tail. "Tail? It has a tail?" "Yes." Nixie then takes a breath and says, "And it… it does something. Somehow. The tail at least. It secretes some sort of paralytic toxin that it can inject into it's victims. It paralyzes them from the neck down in a matter of seconds, leaving them helpless."

Raising a hand so he doesn't interrupt, Nixie adds, "We're not sure if the tail is the only thing that secretes the stuff. And it doesn't have to be injected for it to work. You can touch it on the outside of your skin and it works too. It's not instant, it takes a bit longer, but it still works."

Derek watches as she nods to herself, apparently satisfied that she's told him everything she knows. Then she looks up at him and says, "That's all we have for now. We're pretty sure it killed Isaac's dad, and one of Argent's younger men, and now the mechanic from down town." Derek nods, and then asks, "Why are you telling us this?" "Because you need to know if you don't want to die."

He watches her eyes take on a frightened look as she now adds, "And if you see it… run. Don't try to take on this thing… not until we have more." Derek asks, "Does it effect werewolves? Do we know that?" "We're not sure… I don't think it's attacked a supernatural creature yet? But you still shouldn't go near it. None of you." She looks pointedly to the other three, and then back to Derek briefly, before turning to leave.

She pauses though when Derek asks, "How do you know all of this? Did you see it? Did it attack you?"

Boyd and the others don't miss that for a moment, Derek was angry at whatever this creature was. They hadn't encountered it yet, but if it had hurt Nixie… there would be hell to pay. And they couldn't help agreeing.

But Nixie shook her head and said, "No. I haven't seen him." "Then how…" Nixie turns to him and says tightly, "He attacked Stiles."

Derek freezes at her words, not daring to ask another question. Stiles was one of the trio. He was one of her boys. It didn't matter what kind of hell he could reign down on this creature. Nixie's wrath would be ten times worse. Derek then says gently, "Is he…" Nixie nods and says, "He's fine. And I… maybe…"

She runs a hand over her hair and says, "He didn't so much attack Stiles, I guess. He just… incapacitated him… with whatever the toxin is that he puts out. But Stiles was there. He witnessed it. And he only just managed to call me. And his voice… it was…"

Nixie doesn't finish. She'd rather not remember just how soft and choked off Stiles voice had been. Instead, she looks back to Derek and says, "Don't go near this thing. Not until we have more information. Not until we know how to beat it."

And with that, she walks away, leaving them all behind in the abandoned station.

She was getting on her bike, about to pedal away, when her phone rang. Boyd was standing at the street entrance of the station, watching her as she stood there talking to Alison. "Yeah Alison? What's up?"

And upon hearing that Alison needed to get a message to Scott, Nixie laughs and says, "Yeah I got it. Just tell me what it is. This is going to be good, I can tell."

Derek joins Boyd at the entrance and asks, "You alright?" Boyd nods, but then nods to her and says, "She's worried." Derek looks at her too, and notes that even though she's currently smiling, there is a slight uptick in her pulse. Boyd's right. She is worried. More so than usual.

He'd heard the same uptick off and on throughout the previous half of the year, when they'd been dealing with Peter and Scott's new abilities as a werewolf. But this… this was constant. Nixie couldn't get the idea that this thing… whatever it was… had gotten at Stiles so easily.

Something told Derek she wasn't about to let it happen again. Which meant she'd be sticking to them like glue.

Which meant she wouldn't be at her own home for a while.

Derek ponders it a moment more, and then nods to himself before saying to Boyd, "Come on." "Where are we going?" "You're gonna help me pick up a piece of crap motorcycle."

Confused, Boyd asks, "Okay, but why?" "Because we're going to take it and fix it so it's not a piece of crap motorcycle." Boyd looks to Derek, then back to Nixie. Understanding finally dawns on him, and he nods and says, "Yeah. Let's get started."

* * *

"I'm so sorry about the other day. I'm trying. We'll get through this. I know because I love you."

Let's get one thing straight. Nixie does love Scott. Loves him like a brother. Loves both him and Stiles and all of her close friends as fiercely as a person can without actually being 'in love' with them. She has no problem saying 'I love you' to Scott.

It's when Scott starts smiling and looking at her dreamily, like he was in love with her, that had Nixie cringing inside while saying, "I love you more than…" Scott's eyes took on a particularly whimsical look and Nixie couldn't finish. She just said, "Okay, you two seriously need to find a better way to communicate. And yes, I know that when you're looking at me like that, you aren't actually looking at me. You're thinking about her, and her eyes, and her smile, and all that good jazz. But it's seriously beginning to creep me out. So…"

Scott hurries to say, "What, no! You and Stiles are the only two we can trust." Stiles, sitting next to Nixie one step higher, looks at her and shrugs and says, "You could make him pay you." "No. That's just mean." "Hence you being the source of communication." Nixie raises an eyebrow at him and asks, "What? Because I'm cheap?"

Scott grins as Stiles quickly scrambles to recover from the trap he walked into. "No! No, no, no, no… You are not cheap. You're expensive. So expensive. Like… millionaires couldn't afford you. And we are but humble peasants that are blessed with your good graces and presence."

Nixie is laughing by the time he's finished, and then pats him on the shoulder and says, "I'm only teasing. But that was very good. Very good for my ego." Stiles rolls his eyes, but then looks back to Scott when he asks, "I hate to bug you again Nix, but is she coming to the game tonight?" "Yes. And that ends the message I was told to bring. Now, tell us about what Deaton said again. Which, by the way, I'm still not happy about you leaving out last night."

Scott nods and says, "I know, and I'm sorry. Again. But with Stiles getting attacked and not meeting Alison and… it just… I just forgot." Nixie nods and says, "Noted. But try not to forget such crucial information again in the future. Because this is huge. Right?" Scott and says, "If Deaton's right, then yeah. Pretty huge. He thinks Alison's family keeps some kind of records of all the things that they've hunted. Like a book."

Stiles claps his hands together and says, "He probably means a beastiary." Nixie looks back at him, and then says, "How on earth can you be so calm about anything that's called a beastiary? And does no one else see the problem that there is such a thing as a beastiary being in existence? As in, there are so many creatures in existence that someone actually took the time to keep a book of records about every single one of them. No one finds that frightening? No one else? Just me? Okay, good to know."

Stiles squeezes her shoulder and says, "I don't think you got enough sleep." "I got plenty of sleep. I haven't had coffee yet." Stiles rolls his eyes and says, "I offered to make it." "You had just been through a rather traumatizing night! I wasn't about to make you make my morning coffee on top of everything else. It's my own fault I ran out of time." "It's your own fault for thinking making you coffee is so burdensome that last night would actually effect whether I want to make it or not. I'm not even gonna ask anymore in the morning. You just better be ready to get coffee. End of discussion."

Back to Scott, who is struggling not to laugh at both of them, Stiles says, "Moving on. A beastiary is like an encyclopedia of mythical creatures." Scott stares at him in surprise, and then asks, "How am I the only one that doesn't seem to know anything about this stuff?"

Stiles pats him on the shoulder and says, "Okay, you know, you're our best friend, you're a creature of the night. It's kind of like, a priority of ours. Remember, me and Nixie did extensive research on this stuff before we were even certain you were a werewolf. Now we're certain. Now the research never ends."

Nixie nods in agreement, and then pats Scott's knee and says, "Plus you kind of have your hands full trying to catch up and not fail all your other classes for the year. Leave the supernatural research to us. You focus on your grades in school. We'll meet in the middle, and presto, we'll save the world. Again."

Stiles grins and says, "Yeah. Batman, Robin, and Catwoman." Scott grins at them again, and then says, "Okay. So, if we can find this… beastiary… and if it can tell us what this thing is…" Stiles nods and adds, "And who?"

Sighing, Nixie says, "We need that book."

Of course, Scott and Stiles say it at the exact same time that she does. And while both boys look at each other oddly, both end up smiling when Nixie throws her head back and laughs. Her head leaning back against Stiles thigh where it rests behind her, she says, "Was that not awesome! Oh come on! It was awesome! I don't care if you don't agree. It was."

Stiles just brushes some of the hair out of her face and says, "Yeah, yeah, alright get up. We need to get to class. We need to work out how to find that book. And hopefully accomplish all of that before the day is out. No pressure or anything." Nixie nods and says, "Right. No pressure at all."

* * *

It's as Nixie is relaying all this to Alison at lunch that her head snaps up when Alison asks, "Like… could this book be bound in leather?" Nixie stops eating and says, "Alright, out with it. What do you know?" "Nixie… I'm not so sure we should be getting involved here. I mean… my dad is…" "Alison, your dad doesn't even know what we're dealing with yet. And he doesn't have as much information on it as we do. And trust me, if he guesses wrong about what he thinks it is, and he gets hit with… whatever it is that this thing sticks into people…"

Alison watches as Nixie shudders at the thought, and then Nixie says, "Just… help us. We figure out what this is… and you can tell you dad. You can blame it all on me. Remember, I stole all the flashcards from every photographer at Kate's funeral. You call totally tell him I swiped… whatever it is that you think the beastiary might be. So just… come on. Help us."

Alison sighs and says, "Alright. All I know is that… if it is a book that's old and worn… well, I saw my grandpa with a book that fits that description." "Alright. Let me tell Scott and see what he wants to do." "Sure thing. I'll be here."

When Nixie catches up to Stiles and Scott in the hall, catching her breath, she says, "Alison says she saw her grandpa with a book that could be our beastiary." Scott beams and says, "That's great. Where does he keep it?" Nixie sighs and says, "Don't know. Too excited about telling you. Didn't think to ask."

Stiles pats her shoulder and says, "Okay, we'll tag team this. I'll go back and ask this time. You go back next time." "Sure."

So Stiles runs off to talk to Alison, and Scott puts an arm around Nixie as they walk. "You alright?" Nixie looks up at him and says, "Yeah. Just worried." "I know. I can hear your heartbeat. But it's constant. Like… even when you're happy and with us… it only goes back to normal for a second. And then you're worrying again."

Nixie nods, and as they reach his locker, she leans against the one next to it and says, "I just… this thing… it's bizarre. And it's deadly. And it…" "It had Stiles." Nixie looks to Scott, who smiles gently and says, "Not much worries you… except when one of us is in danger or hurt. And then you're either worried, or your angry. I think I'm used to you getting angry at whoever caused it, and that's why it's so strange to hear your heartbeat constantly picking up speed." Nixie nods, and then says, "Well, as soon as we nail whatever this is and figure out how to beat it, I promise to go back to just glaring angrily at all the people who mean to harm you."

Scott chuckles and has just shut his locker when Stiles comes back panting and says, "She says… must be… his office." Nixie nods and then pulls out Scott's old inhaler and hands it to Stiles saying, "Here. Use it."

He does, and then Scott asks, "Can she get it? Is that a possibility?" Nixie mock salutes him and says, "I will report back with an answer ASAP sir."

Both boys laugh at her as she takes off. At the lunch table outside, Alison looks up at her and says, "Hey. New question?" "Yep. Can you get it from his office?" Alison ponders that and says, "Not without his keys." Nixie nods, and after sitting back down with her, Nixie says, "Alright, so let's make a plan on how to get those. How tricky do you think it might be?" Alison bites her lip in concentration, and then says, "I honestly don't know. He carries them with him always." Nixie nods and then asks, "Like, in a jeans pocket? In his hands? On a chain attached to his belt?"

Alison thinks for a moment, and then says, "In his coat pocket, usually." And at Alison's smile, Nixie says, "Boom. I see a plan forming." "I think I can get them. But… not until later. At the game tonight. I think… yeah, I think I can do it." Nixie nods and says, "Alright. We'll be ready to get them from you somehow. You probably shouldn't leave your grandpa. Do that, and he might suspect you? We don't need that on top of everything else." "Right."

And with the plan formed, Nixie goes back to tell Scott and Stiles. They needed this to go off without a hitch. For once, they needed something to go according to plan. Even if the damn book wasn't in the office… they at least needed the plan to succeed without them getting caught.

Nixie could see how much stress Scott and Alison were under, trying to keep their relationship secret and strong. They seemed to keep getting caught up lately and unable to meet. Nixie made a mental note to ensure that they could see each other alone sometime soon. She'd somehow send Chris and all his teams on a merry chase through the woods if she had to.

But for now, get the beastiary. Then she would worry about keeping Alison and Scott on happier terms.

* * *

Nixie was prepared to be a further distraction. Gerard had the game to focus on, and Alison to keep him occupied. But the man was an Argent, and should he end up needing further distraction than all that, Nixie figured that could be her main part in this whole plan. Become the rest of the distraction.

That's when Stiles texted her, and told her to get to the parking lot ASAP. Unsure of what could already be going wrong with the plan, she gave Alison a dubious look and a shrug, and then took off away from the game and to the front of the school to the parking lot.

There she found Stiles hadn't even gone inside yet. He was standing next to the driver's side door, talking to a crying Lydia.

When Stiles saw her coming he relaxed a bit. He wasn't sure what else to do for Lydia at this point, except listen to her. And unfortunately, and he did consider it extremely unfortunate, he didn't have that time. To Nixie, he whispers, "She says that I'm gonna think she's crazy. Me of all people. I…" "Go Stiles. I got her." "Good."

Lydia watches as Stiles moves away reluctantly, and then glances over as Nixie bends down so she can peer into the open window. Tilting her head, Nixie asks, "What's wrong?" "I don't know. Everything? Nothing? I just… I don't know. I… I think I'm going crazy." "You're not."

Turning to fully look at Nixie, Lydia asks, "How do you know? I haven't… I haven't even told you…" "I know." At Lydia's confused look, Nixie just smiles gently and says, "You're my best friend Lydia. I know when you're upset, even if you don't want to tell me why. Even if you try your hardest to seem okay… you can't fool me Lydia. You'll never be able to do that."

Lydia just stares at her for a minute, and then leans back in exhaustion and says, "I do feel crazy though. I keep… I keep seeing things. Things that I know aren't there and can't be there. And… and I've been… I've been doing things. In my sleep I think. I… I punched one of the mirrors in my room last night."

Lydia removes her gloves to show Nixie her cut up knuckles, and Nixie reaches to take them and pull them closer instantly. Her touch is gentle, but there's no mistaking the concern now etched firmly into Nixie's features. Now she's scared too. Lydia almost starts crying again as she says, "See? I'm going insane."

"Lydia… shut up." Lydia blinks in confusion, looking up to Nixie in surprise. "But… I…" Nixie gently smooths over her hands, inspecting the wounds but not hurting them any further. Then she says, "You are the most brilliant person I have ever had the privilege to meet in my life Lydia. You have one fault that I can find, and it is not that you are crazy."

Upon Lydia's silence, apparently waiting to hear what her fault is, Nixie says, "Your fault is in the fact that you don't want the rest of the world to see how smart you really are right now. With time, I am going to cure you of that fault, and then you will be perfect. You are a genius. You are not going insane."

Nixie's firm eyes meet Lydia's as she says, "You're not allowed to. I won't let you."

She stays like that for as long as Lydia needs her to, letting Lydia's eyes search her own for any amount of doubt or wavering. There is none. Nixie is as certain about this as she has ever been. Something was going on with Lydia. Something that was at times frightening her; enough to make her think she was losing it. But Lydia was not going crazy.

Lydia had been bit by a werewolf, and was now suffering the consequences of that. What exactly those consequences meant and how they would end up playing out, Nixie has no idea. But Lydia is not losing her mind.

Nixie mentally plots out how far away Lydia's house is from both Stiles and Scott and Alison, and determines that it's close enough to all three that if any of them needed her immediately, Nixie could still get there in a decent amount of time. With that in mind, Nixie helps Lydia slide back on her gloves and says, "Go home Lydia. Take a hot shower. Throw away your broken mirror. I'm gonna come over later, and you can do my hair."

Lydia's eyes widen before a smile spreads across her face. "Really?" Nixie rolls her eyes, but smiles gently and says, "Yes. But for now go home. And if you fall asleep, don't worry. I'll let you do something with my hair in the morning. But I warn you now, I reserve the right to undo anything I deem too crazy." Lydia laughs and says, "Of course."

Nixie doesn't let anyone do her hair. She's not into that sort of thing. Doing her own hair for the winter formal a while back had been a rarity in itself. She honestly might not have done her hair then, if not for Melissa telling her a week earlier that she couldn't just go in a ponytail.

Anyways, bottom line, Nixie doesn't do her own hair very often, much less let someone else touch it. But Lydia… well, Lydia she trusts to an extent with her hair. At the very least, she trusts Lydia to not damage it with too much product or too much heat. Nixie might not do much with her hair, ever, but she did like her hair. It was wavy, easy to straighten if it needed it, and was often tangle-free and easy to brush. What more could she ask for?

Nixie watches as Lydia drives away, and is about to head back to the lacrosse field, when her phone rings again. Picking up, she asks, "Yeah? You find it?" When Stiles doesn't answer right away, Nixie frowns and asks, "Stiles?"

Then Nixie hears the muffled sound of Derek's voice as he asks, "What did you see at the mechanic's garage?" Nixie grits her teeth and says, "I told him everything we know. What the hell does he need to bother Stiles for? Damn it!" And with that, she takes off into the school to try and find out where Stiles ended up.

Not in the office. Damn. And judging from the lack of order in the room, Stiles hadn't been able to find the book before getting snagged by Derek. Or maybe one of the other three. Nixie can't be sure yet.

She straightens up what she can really quickly, and then takes off down the hall again, trying to think of where Derek might've taken Stiles to interrogate him.

Nixie had just reached the pool that connected to the gym on one side when she heard Derek yell at Stiles, "RUN!" And to herself, Nixie says, "Well, you might not be a complete asshole yet."

She dashes inside in time to see Erica knocked out on the floor, and then hears Stiles say, "Derek, your neck?"

Oh for fuck's sake.

Nixie first runs over to Erica, seeing that Stiles is attempting to drag Derek with him out of the room. Dragging her over into one of the locker rooms and wedging it shut, hoping that'll protect her well enough, Nixie then runs back out in time to see Stiles drop both his phone and Derek. The phone lands on the side of the pool.

Derek's paralyzed body falls into the water.

Cursing under her breath, Nixie strips off her coat, leaves her phone with it, and then takes off for the other side of the pool. To Stiles, who is debating on what to do, she says, "Call Scott!" And without waiting to see if he listened, she dives into the water after Derek's sinking body.

Stiles is struggling to dial the right number, his fingers shaking with all the added adrenaline in his body. He jumps and then sighs in relief when Nixie resurfaces in the water, Derek's body coming up with her. Slinging one of his arms over her shoulder, she gasps in a breath and then asks, "You get him?" "I'm trying. It's…" "Stiles, take a breath."

He tries, but then the hissing sound resounds throughout the entire room, and Stiles is back in panic mode. Struggling under Derek's weight, Nixie says, "Leave it there and come help me." Stiles nods and drops his phone back down, climbing halfway down the ladder into the pool to try and help her get Derek out.

But that thing comes back, and instead of getting out, Nixie grabs Stiles and drags him in with her. Pulling all of them further into the water, Nixie says, "Get on his other side Stiles. We need to wait for a better opportunity." Stiles holds up Derek's other side, taking some of the weight, and with that, it becomes easier to manage.

Nixie glances all around for the creature, waiting for him to show up again. When she doesn't see it, she says, "Come on. Let's try to get him to the edge." But as they get closer, it returns, and hisses at them. Nixie kicks off the wall and backs away again, cursing under her breath and spitting out a mouthful of water.

Derek glances over at her, and then sighs and says, "Sorry." "For what exactly?" "I don't know. But I figure I owe you one for something." "You do indeed, you giant ass. But since you haven't figured out what that is yet, shut the hell up."

Stiles then points hurriedly to the creature and says, "Look! You see that?" Nixie glances at it, watching as it backs away from the water's edge in fear. Narrowing her eyes in confusion, Nixie asks, "So what? It hates the water?" Stiles shrugs and says, "I think it can't swim. I mean, think about it. It would've come in here after us by now if it could." "Or maybe we just aren't the target. Same as you weren't at ARMOR last night." "Then who is the target?" "I don't freaking know! Just not us, apparently."

Stiles nods at that, and then glances back at the edge of the pool where his phone is. To Nixie, he says, "I don't think I can keep this up much longer. My shoes are dragging me down." "Yeah, well, my boots aren't exactly a picnic either." "Right. Look, I think I can get to my phone. Let me try Scott again."

Nixie is about to respond, when Derek shouts, "No, no, no! Don't even think about it!"

The harsh slap to the back of his head literally punches his face into the water. Nixie holds the back of his hair and pulls it back, and then says, "Shut the hell up! This is all your fault anyway! None of you would even be in here if you had just left Stiles alone like I told you to. I gave you all the information we had, you freaking asshole."

Then to Stiles, she says, "Go. I've got him. At least for a few minutes. Try him again. Hurry." Stiles nods, and once he's sure Nixie's got her grip on Derek again, he lets go and swims as fast as he can towards his phone.

Derek feels himself get hefted up an inch higher as Nixie struggles under his weight. Glancing over, he asks, "You alright?" When she doesn't answer, he strains his eyes to see where her head should be. Except it's not there.

Or… it wasn't. It surfaces out of the water a second later. In the same instance, he drops back down the inch or so higher he'd been held up. Gasping in a breath, Nixie asks, "What'd you say?" "I asked if you were alright?" "Oh yeah. I'm fucking peachy. Now quit distracting me from keeping you alive."

Her head drops back beneath the surface, somehow giving her more leverage to hold him just a little higher out of the water. She has to come back up every so often for a breath of her own, but she always drops back down to shove him up higher.

When Stiles comes back, taking more of the weight again, Nixie asks, "You get him?" And Derek says, "Tell me you got him." Stiles glares at Derek, but then says to Nixie, "He said he couldn't talk right now and hung up on me." "WHAT?!"

Nixie grits her teeth and says, "I'm going to beat him in the head. With a bat." Stiles suggests, "I'd suggest book. You'd feel less guilty about it later." "Whatever."

They hold Derek there for a while longer. It's been at least four hours, judging from what Nixie can see of the clock on the wall. She knows Stiles is getting exhausted, and she's honestly not sure how much longer she can keep this up.

Derek can feel her arms shaking from exertion around him. She was still trying, but it was becoming apparent that she was losing her grip. Cursing under her breath, Nixie glances at one of the diving posts at the end of the pool and says, "Come on Stiles. We get there, and we can hold ourselves up while we hold him."

Together they try to carry Derek above the water. It's tricky though, even with two of them. They have to make sure they keep his head above the water all the while swimming towards their destination.

Nixie goes under the water and puts her body beneath his, using herself as a sort of board. Gripping the shoulders of his shirt, she kicks behind her and it makes their progress go a little faster.

When she sees the wall in front of her, she moves out from under him and grips Derek's arm tight while resurfacing and reaching for the handle above her. Stiles reaches for the one right next to her, and is actually smiling. It wasn't a great accomplishment or anything, not really. But here they were… two humans, saving the ass of the supposedly mighty alpha. They were soaking wet and still trapped in the water. But they were surviving.

For a brief moment.

Nixie's only warning of any new danger coming was Stiles' smile vanishing and his eyes widening. His mouth had been opening, an obvious shout and warning meant to be given to her. But it was too late. A hand wrapped around the back of her head. No claws penetrated her skin, so she wasn't injected with the toxin.

But that didn't really matter, when the hand of the creature slammed her face down onto the concrete side of the pool… hard. Her head smacked against it with a crack, and her world went blurry for a brief moment before everything was suddenly black.

Stiles watched helplessly as Nixie was at one moment holding up most of Derek's dead weight, and the next she was sinking down into the water herself. "NIXIE!" Derek strains his eyes to see her, but when he can't even so much as see the top of her head in the water, he says, "Get her!" But Stiles just grips Derek tighter and says, "She'll kill me if I drop you." "She'll die and won't be able to kill you if you don't go and get her now!" "Shut up and let me think!" "Stiles!"

That's when a hand grabs Stiles' shoulder and hauls him out of the water. Derek follows shortly after, and Scott shifts into his wolf form and roars at the creature on the other side of the pool.

It quickly leaps across the room to join them on their side, and then wraps a tail around Scott's ankle and throws him into a mirror on one side of the room. Scott snarls again, and the creature approaches him threateningly.

Picking up a piece of the broken mirror around him, Scott prepares to fight him off… when something strange happens. The creature stops. Its gaze goes from murderous to curious as it looks at Scott.

No… not Scott. At the piece of broken mirror in his hand. The creature is looking at itself in wonder, as though it was seeing itself for the first time.

As though before this very moment, it had no earthly idea just what it looked like to other people.

It takes off after that. Literally leaping up a floor in height, and then into the ceiling, and then shattering the glass in the roof as it takes off into the night.

Scott is about to relax and just sit back in relief, when Stiles scrambles up and says, "Scott! Nixie's still in the water!"

Derek's still half paralyzed, so he still can't help as Scott dives down into the water and drags up Nixie's unconscious form. Stiles helps him pull her out of the water, and then hurriedly tilts her head back while Scott scrambles to her side and starts performing the CPR compressions on her chest. Every fifteen or so pumps of her chest, Stiles leans down and breathes for her, bending down to listen afterwards and see if she's breathing on her own again.

Derek tilts his head and focuses his hearing, trying to pick up even the slightest pulse in her system that's not caused by Scott's compressions. But he's still too weak from the toxin, and he's honestly not sure he could tell the difference right now.

For a brief moment, Stiles and Scott both looked at each other, and Derek could see the horror in their eyes. He'd never seen either of them so scared. Not when dealing with Peter. Not when dealing with the hunters. Not for anything else.

But this… losing Nixie… that terrified them to no end. Derek knows that Scott would be just as devastated over Alison dying too, but this was different. Nixie was like their sister. She was the third musketeer in their trio.

There would be no coming back from losing her. She wasn't a person who could ever be replaced.

Derek was about to recommend that one of the call a hospital or something, when Nixie's body finally lurched. Twisting to turn on her side, she coughed and gagged and began spitting up the water she'd managed to inhale. Derek would guess at least a lung-full of water was spit out onto the ground before she finally managed to take her first huge breath of fresh air.

But she was alive and breathing. That's what mattered.

Slumping back down on the ground, Nixie raises a hand to the right side of her head and cringes. "Damn it. That really fucking hurt." Stiles actually laughs. He can't help it. Kissing the top of her head, he says, "Never do that to me again. Ever. You understand." "If I had any say in it, it wouldn't have happened the first time."

Scott sighs in relief, and as Nixie rolls over onto her back again, she keeps taking in gulps of air, not trying to talk anymore for a while.

Then she finally asks, "Stiles? You okay?" "I'm good." "And Derek?" Stiles points to where he's still laying, and Nixie glances in his direction. Closing her eyes in peace, she says, "Good. Someone remind me to kick his ass later." Derek nods that he himself might do it for her, if that's all she wanted right now.

Nixie laughs for a moment, but then stops and asks, "Erica? Someone check on Erica. I shoved her in the locker room over there."

Scott gets up to go and check, and upon finding her still there and safe, he says, "She's good." Nixie sighs again and says, "Awesome. Alright, someone get me up. We need to get out of here before… well, I don't really know what. But if it decides to come back, I'd rather not be here." Stiles nods and says, "Totally agreed. Let's go."

And that's when Scott remembers, "Oh wait! I have to get Gerard's keys. The book is on the keys!"

To which Nixie replies, "How the hell does he have an actual book hanging from his keychain? It'd have to be a massive link to hold that thing on there. I mean… what?!"

Outside at Melissa's car that Scott drove to the school, Nixie looks over Scott's shoulder as he pulls up a copy of the book from the flash drive. And of course, it's in a language that no one else can read. Perfect.

Stiles sighs and asks, "Is that even a language?" Scott sighs and asks, "How are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?" Nixie looks at it again and says, "I'm pretty sure it's a form of latin. But I don't know enough about the language to know which kind or even begin to know how to read it."

"You don't have to." All three turn to Derek when he walks up to them with Erica. Erica, for her part, smiles at Nixie and even raises her hand slightly in a wave. Nixie simply turns to Derek with an extremely unhappy expression.

Knowing she's not in the mood for him to draw anything out right now, he says, "It's called a kanima." Stiles, possibly slightly more pissed than Nixie is at this point, says, "You knew the whole time!" But Derek shakes his head and says, "No. Only when it was confused by its own reflection."

Eyebrows pulling together in confusion now, Nixie asks, "Wait, what? When did that happen?" Scott relays exactly how the fight went down before he pulled her out of the water, and then says, "I just… your head still hurts. I didn't want to…" "Pertinent information gets told in spite of headaches Scott. Make a note of that for the future. Write it down. Always tell me everything."

Scott smiles gently at her, and then they turn back to Derek. Nixie asks, "So why was it confused by it's own reflection? It doesn't know what it is or something?" Derek nods and then adds, "Or who?" "Great. That's just great."

Stiles, still annoyed, asks Derek, "Well what else do you know?" Derek shakes his head though, eyes still on Nixie as he says, "Just stories. Rumors." Scott asks, "But it's like us?" Derek frowns and says, "A shape-shifter, yes. But it's not right. It's like…" Nixie narrows her eyes at him for a moment, and then asks, "An abomination?"

He nods to her, and then after giving her one more glance over, reaches behind Erica's back and pulls out Nixie's jacket and phone. Handing them over, he says, "You left these." She takes them back, but simply tosses them into Scott's car. Leaning against it, she nods to Scott.

Scott nods back, and then to Derek, he says, "We need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argents." Derek glares and says, "You trust them?"

"Nobody trusts anyone." Both turn to look at Nixie, and as she stands up straight again, her eyes piercing into Derek, she says, "And that's the problem. We're here, arguing about who's on what side. And while we're doing that, wasting precious time, there's something scarier, stronger, and faster than any of us out there." Scott nods and says, "And it's killing people! And we still don't even know anything about it!"

Derek glares at him again, and then says, "I know one thing. When I find it… I'm gonna kill it."

Then he looks over at Nixie and says, "And you're wrong. I trust you." But he leans back in surprise when she says with conviction, "No, you don't."

Stepping up to him, eyes still piercing right through him, she says, "I told you everything we knew. I told you everything we had. And still you dragged Stiles into this fucking mess to interrogate him. And you nearly got him, Erica, yourself, and me all killed in the process. So no… you do not trust me. And we all nearly died for it."

Then to Erica, she points a stern finger and says, "That's twice you've played a part in hurting one of my boys. Touch Stiles again, and I don't care that you think you have an invincible and strong new werewolf body. I'll skin every inch of that new and flawless perfect flesh right off your body and toss it in a dumpster somewhere."

Back to her boys, she says, "I need to get my bike, and then I need to be dropped off at Lydia's. Don't argue with me about it. I promised her, and I'm going. End of discussion."

Scott and Stiles just nod after a moment, and then they all climb into the car and head off from the school, leaving that nightmare as far behind them as possible.

* * *

Lydia was in her room, tidying up a few things. Now that the broken mirror was gone and her sheets were changed, she felt a whole lot better.

And when her mom announced that Nixie was here, Lydia smiled and threw her door open wide to greet her friend.

Who is sopping wet from head to toe.

Lydia's smile vanishes for a moment, and she asks, "What…" But Nixie holds up a hand and says, "I don't want to talk about it. You have some extra pajamas I can borrow?" "Yeah, of course." "Great. I'm gonna need a shower before you can do anything to my hair. But I'll be quick, I promise." "Okay. Nix, are you sure you're alright?"

Nixie smiles and says, "Yeah, I'm great. This whole…" she gestures up and down her soaking wet self and says, "Yeah, this was just… an unfortunate event that happened after you left the school tonight. But I'm fine. Just a little wet." "A little?" Nixie grins and says, "Yeah. Just a smidge."

Lydia finally laughs, and after handing her a pair of sweatpants and a tank top to change into, Lydia settles back in front of her wardrobe while Nixie moves to take a shower.

While in Lydia's bathroom, Nixie checks on the wound on her stomach. It's all healed now, no longer bleeding after showers and no longer needing bandages anymore. She supposes that's lucky, otherwise some of them might've come off in the pool, and the boys might've found out. On top of everything else, they didn't need to find out about this too. Besides, she was fine now.

When she came back out, Lydia sat her down in front of the tall mirror in her room and then went about drying her hair. Upon brushing some of it on Nixie's right side, Nixie flinched and Lydia paused to ask, "Too hot?"

Nixie sighs and says, "I bumped my head is all. It's a little tender, but I'm fine. Just go ahead. And no, it's not too hot. It feels nice actually."

Lydia continues, a bit gentler than before. And when she actually goes about styling Nixie's hair in a pretty French braid with two bands wrapping around the sides of her head, Lydia can actually feel the bump on the side of Nixie's head. You can't see it, thanks to her hair… but Lydia feels it nonetheless.

When she's done, she gets Nixie some Asprin, and then sits down on the bed and says, "Thanks. I feel better." Nixie grins as she takes the pills and asks, "Because you did my hair? If that's all it takes, I'll make regular appointments." Laughing, Lydia says, "I may take you up on that." "Anytime Lydia. You know that." "Yeah, I do. Are you staying tonight?" "Well, yeah. I'm not about to ride my bike home in this outfit."

They both laugh, and then as they're getting ready for bed, Nixie's phone rings. Seeing Scott's name, Nixie says, "I'm gonna step out for a minute. Be right back." "Sure thing."

Outside of Lydia's room, Nixie answers and asks, "Scott?" "Gerard knows."

Freezing for a second at the panic in Scott's voice, Nixie then says, "Okay, calm down Scott. What does he know?" "He knows I'm a werewolf. He knows that Alison and I aren't actually broken up. He… I think he knows everything." "Me too?" "That I'm not sure about. But probably. He probably figures both you and Stiles are in on everything, seeing how close we all are."

Nixie nods, and then asks, "What else? This wouldn't have you as worried as you are. What else happened?" "He… he threatened my mom."

The pause is so lengthy that Scott, for a moment, wonders if the line went dead. Then Nixie says, "We'll fix this Scott. What did he say?" "He said I'm going to do him a favor in the future. And he said I'd do it, or the knife he stabbed me with would be used to stab mom." "He stabbed you?!"

Nixie grits her teeth, and then says, "I knew I didn't like him."

She thinks on it a moment more, and then says, "Alright. Scott, I need you not to stress about it so much. Okay? I know that's hard… but trust me. Right now, there's nothing we can do about it. Gerard thinks he has you in his pocket now, and you need to play along as though you might be. We can't figure out how to trick him the way he's been tricking us until we know what he wants. Once we figure that out, then we can figure out what to do. Got it?"

Scott takes a moment to go over what Nixie just said, and then sighs and says, "Yeah. Yeah, okay. Nix… thanks. I…" "Hey, that's what I'm here for. Keep me posted. As soon as you figure out what he wants, we'll figure out our next step. I promise, nothing is going to happen to Melissa. Not while I'm here to say anything about it." "Thanks Nixie." "Of course Scott. Now, get some sleep."

When she crawls into bed next to Lydia, she wonders just how she's going to manage beating Gerard though. She knows she told Scott not to worry. She knows that she's right, and that they can't really form a plan on how to beat him until they know what exactly it is that he wants.

That being said… she hated not having a plan on how to beat his ass into the ground already. He'd threatened Melissa. He'd stabbed Scott… in public!

Before she was through with him… Nixie was going to make sure he regretted ever touching one of her boys.

* * *

And that's Chapter 4! Chapter 5 will follow shortly. Thanks to all of you who keep on reading my stuff. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 5: Episode 2x5

When Stiles scrambles into class on this fine morning, Nixie, who was sitting in the desk next to Scott, raises an eyebrow at him. He leans forward towards both of them and says, "Guys, I just talked to my dad, who just talked to Jackson, and I've got really terrible horrible, very, very bad news."

Nixie's expression immediately becomes confused, but Scott gestures for Stiles to shut up while saying, "I think I already know."

Both boys look to where Isaac is sitting, in the seat directly in front of Nixie. She glances at him too, and then back to the boys and asks, "What's so terrible about Isaac being back in school? He didn't do it." Stiles looks to her and says, "We didn't confirm that yet." "Derek did. And I believe Isaac. It wasn't even an actual full moon when his dad was killed. Geez."

Scott leans towards her too now and says, "If they got Jackson to get Stiles' dad to drop all the charges, that means they probably threatened Jackson into it." But Nixie simply responds, "I threaten Jackson on a daily basis when it's necessary. I don't see you two looking at me like I'm suddenly the devil incarnate."

Scott and Stiles look at each other, and Stiles sighs and says, "We just… we need to be cautious." Nixie doesn't argue with that, though when she turns to face the front again as the teacher begins talking, Isaac turns his head slightly so he can see her. He smiles at her a little, and then nods his head in appreciation before facing forward again.

The hand that squeezes his shoulder is reassuring, and Nixie can feel him relax a little more from it. Granted, he knew she was still peeved about Derek nearly beating Scott to a pulp on the ice… but Isaac hadn't really been a part of that. He certainly hadn't tried to help Scott… but he hadn't been the one who actually hurt him either.

After class, Stiles says to Nixie and Scott, "Alright, I only found one thing online called the kanima. It's a were-jaguar from South America that goes after murderers." Scott frowns at that definition, and then says, "That thing was not a jaguar."

Nixie puts one of her arms around his shoulders and says, "Agreed my good friend. But that still leaves the very daunting question of what the hell it is." Stiles nods and says, "And besides, I'm not exactly a murderer." Scott nods and says, "Yeah, but you did see it kill somebody, which is probably why it tried to kill you. And it's still trying to kill you, and it probably won't stop until you're dead."

The slap to the back of his head brings Scott out of his line of thought. And though Stiles is grinning at Nixie because he knows she did that for him, Stiles still says to Scott, "You know, sometimes I really begin to question this 'friendship'."

Nixie nods and as Stiles wrap an arm around her shoulders, she wraps one around his side and then says, "Besides, I don't think it was actually trying to kill Stiles."

Both boys pause to look at her, and she shrugs and says, "If it wanted Stiles dead, it would've done it at the mechanic shop when Stiles was there, on the ground, completely helpless. It wouldn't have waited to specifically drown him in a pool. I seriously doubt the method of death would matter to it."

Scott nods as he thinks that over, and as they walk into their next class, he says, "So… that leaves a new question then. If it wasn't trying to kill Stiles in the pool, along with Derek… then what was it doing?"

Sitting down and opening up their textbooks, Nixie behind Stiles, she jumps in surprise when Jackson rushes in and claims the empty seat behind Scott. She glares at him immediately, and then pinches the bridge of her nose in annoyance when he leans forward and says, "Hey, testicle left and right."

But then even she gets wide-eyed when he asks, "What the hell is a kanima?"

The boys turn around instantly, but then Nixie points forward to Coach, who is giving them a lecture on how hard their midterm is going to be. Nixie, since she's beside Jackson, doesn't have to turn though. Instead, she leans over to Jackson and asks, "How do you know about that?" "I heard Isaac and Erica talking about it in the hall. Derek had them drag me down to his hideout last night and forced me to taste some of the venom from this thing, I think. And do you know what it did? It…"

Nixie nods and says, "Paralyzed you from the neck down." Jackson nods frantically and says, "Exactly! Do you have any idea what that feels like?" Nixie sighs and says, "No. But Stiles does. What else did they say?" "Erica said that Derek wants something done during chemistry, and then something about Lydia. I'm not…"

Stiles and Scott turn around now, forgetting about paying attention to Coach. Stiles nods to Nixie and says, "First of all, she's right. I'm familiar with the sensation of being paralyzed by this damn thing." Scott nods and then says, "Secondly… Why would Derek test you? Why would he think it's you?"

Nixie leans back in her seat at that, pondering. She hadn't thought of that. As far as they knew, Jackson should still just be Jackson. He hadn't been bitten by Peter before they killed him, and Derek was the only other…

Nixie narrows her eyes at Jackson, who simply shrugs off the question. He knew exactly why Derek thought it might be him, but he wasn't about to tell them that.

Which meant that against every sound piece of judgment that ever existed, Jackson had probably gone to Derek and gotten 'the bite'. Great. One more dumbass teenager she needed to worry about on a full moon. Did anyone have common sense anymore? Anyone?

But before Nixie can grill him on the subject, Stiles jumps in and asks worriedly, "Wait, do they think it's Lydia?"

Stiles looks back to Nixie when she so visibly freezes in her chair that it actually catches his eye. She stares at him for a moment with wide eyes, and then says, "That's why they're testing. They want to see if it's her. They're… they're going to try and paralyze her in chemistry class."

"Jackson!" They all jump and look up as Coach shouts his name. Then Coach asks, "Do you have something you want to share with the rest of the class?" Jackson glances around, and then Nixie can't help but roll her eyes when he says, "Just… an undying admiration for my coach." Coach grins and says, "That's really kind of you. Now shut up! Shut it!"

Nixie counts to ten, waiting for Coach to be out of earshot, and then leans forward at the same time Scott grabs Stiles and pulls him closer across the aisle. And though she knows Scott hates to think it, he asks anyway, "How do we know it's not her?" Stiles shakes his head though and says, "Because I looked into the eyes of that thing, okay? And what I saw was pure evil. And when I look into Lydia's eyes, I only see fifty percent evil."

He glances back at Nixie, who raises an eyebrow, to which he concedes, "Alright, maybe sixty. You know… but no more than forty, on a good day!" Scott sighs and says, "Stiles, that's not a very good argument." Then he glances to Nixie, seeing if she has anything to add.

And she tries to… she really does. But the honest truth is that something is going on with Lydia. Something is wrong with her. She's seeing things that aren't there, and she was doing things in her sleep. And as far as Nixie knows and could ever find out, Lydia had never had a sleepwalking problem in the past, so that wasn't somehow the cause of her breaking her own mirror in her sleep.

Nixie looks up at Scott, and then says, "I don't have anything to prove it's not her. But I don't think it is. I feel it… in my gut. She's… something is going on with her, and she doesn't want to talk much about it. But she doesn't have huge gaps in her memory, like this person would if they stopped to really think about it. So I don't think it's her."

Scott nods at that, and she can tell he feels a little better at her words. But they still have no proof. Which means that they can't convince Derek it's not Lydia.

Which means that they are going to have to protect her in whatever way they can. Whatever that entails exactly. And as Scott looks Nixie over again, her hand currently in a fist around her pencil, he knows that she's more than willing to get caught in the crossfire if it means keeping Lydia safe.

Then Scott looks up at the board, where Lydia is standing. Eyes widening as he watches what she's writing, he jerks back around and hisses, "Nixie!"

She jerks to look at him, and then up at the board. Stiles fumbles around when she taps him on the shoulder harshly, but when he sees the board too, he leans back towards her and asks, "What the hell…" Nixie shrugs, but says, "Get a photo of it please."

She stands up just as Coach says, "Lydia…"

Lydia snaps her eyes open after a moment, apparently coming out of a trance like state. And then Coach chuckles a little before saying, "Okay, anybody else wanna try answering? This time, in English?"

The whole class laughs for a second, and Coach is grinning at his own joke.

A second later though, Nixie's desk slamming onto the ground silenced them. She only picked it up an inch and then dropped it, but it was enough. All eyes switched to looking at her, and then swiftly back down to their desks when they met her furious eyes.

Nixie then marched up to the board, Coach smartly getting out of her way. Putting an arm gently around Lydia, Nixie says softly, "Come on Lydia. Let's go."

Lydia nods and lets Nixie walk her back to her desk. Upon sitting down, Lydia grabs Nixie's arm and says, "Nix… I'm…" But Nixie bends down to her and says firmly, "You are not going crazy. I promise you that. Understand?"

She nods after a moment more, searching Nixie's eyes for doubt the same way she had a couple weeks ago. But Nixie was still sure of her statement. Lydia was a lot of things, but crazy would never be one of them.

Squeezing Lydia's shoulder gently, Nixie then walks back to her desk. Sitting down behind Stiles again, she hears Scott ask, "What is that? Greek?"

She leans forward to look over Stiles shoulder at the picture he took. And as he sighs, he hands it back to her and says, "Flip it." She does, and then glances across the room at Lydia worriedly before handing it back to Stiles to show Scott. Stiles then explains to Scott, "No, actually, I'm pretty sure it is English." And Scott's eyes take on a worried look as well when he reads that, if you flip the picture backwards, it says 'Somebody Help Me'.

All three look at each other for a moment, and then glance at Lydia across the room. Turning back to the boys, Nixie says, "We have to help her." Scott nods and Stiles says, "Agreed. But how?" Nixie shrugs and says simply, "We keep her with us at all times. We keep Derek away from her. We somehow convince him to let us prove it's not her." Scott nods again, but then says, "I know we don't want to consider it, but what if it is her?"

And he and Stiles both grin when Nixie says, "Then we'll start locking her up on full moons and feeding her like Stiles did with his boa all those years ago. And if Derek comes after her, I'll hit him with a baseball bat and shove wolfsbane up his ass."

Stiles turns to look at her with a grin and asks, "That easy huh?" "I concede that my plan might not have an 'easy' execution. But it's simple, to the point, and guaranteed to cause Derek immense pain. How can it go wrong?"

* * *

As they walk into chemistry class later, Scott says to both of them, "Look, Nixie, I know you really don't like Derek right now. And yeah, he doesn't always make the best decisions. But… he wouldn't kill Lydia without proof. And furthermore, he knows how important Lydia is to you. That's gotta count for something." Nixie shrugs and says, "I'm not so sure it does anymore. Not since he was paralyzed and left to drown in a pool of water that Stiles and I had to save him from."

Stiles nods, and then sighs and says, "Alright, but bottom line right now, is that Derek needs proof before he can justify doing anything to her. Which means he's going to test her?" Nixie nods and says, "The same way he did Jackson." Stiles nods back to her and says, "But when and where?"

Nixie rolls her eyes even as Erica and Isaac come into the room, making it very apparent when and where. But instead of granting those two her attention, she turns back to Stiles and says, "Seriously. We talked about this in Econ. Here and now. In chemistry class."

All three look at Erica and Isaac, and although they'd both been grinning a minute ago, when Nixie finally turns her gaze towards them, both new werewolves draw themselves up short. Isaac, himself, had yet to have the full effect of her eyes turned on him yet, so it was staggering to feel them looking at him with such piercing menace at the moment.

Without waiting to see who will try and get to her first, Nixie moves with ease and takes a seat next to Lydia. Scott and Stiles both draw up chairs near the edge of the desk, and as Alison walks in, she gives them all a funny look. Nixie just nods behind her, to where Erica and Isaac are now sitting. Alison nods in understanding, and Nixie sighs in relief. Now they have four people on Lydia. Even if Alison doesn't entirely understand what they're protecting her from or for yet… it's still a two on four battle now.

Nixie then looks to Scott and Stiles and says, "You guys can't stay here. Mr. Harris will make you move anyway. Go find seats somewhere else."

They move to the desk on the other side of Lydia, and as Mr. Harris begins pacing the room, talking about Einstein and something he said, Nixie glances over at Alison. Sure enough, there's a note being passed to her, and Nixie swipes it and reads, _"What are they going to do to Lydia?"_ Nixie scribbles down as quickly as she can, and then passes it back so Alison can read, _"They're trying to see if she's the kanima. The thing that looks like a lizard. Explain more later."_

Alison nods and shoves the note away before Harris can see it. And as he announces that they're going to be doing a round of group experiments, Nixie runs a hand through her hair and sighs. This was going to make protecting Lydia that much harder. Shit.

As they all begin moving through the stations, Nixie doesn't miss how Erica puts her hand on Scott's thigh and starts slowly sliding it up. As soon as the bell rings, Nixie moves behind her swiftly and grabs a handful of her hair and yanks back as hard as she can.

Erica's yelp calls attention to her for a moment, but Nixie is already gone, moving onto the next station. She grins though when she catches Alison smirking in her direction. And she didn't need to look to know Scott was relieved to be rid of Erica's added attention.

She takes the seat at the next station next to the one Isaac and Stiles are sitting at, since Scott was already sitting next to Lydia now.

Lydia for her part, is confused. Alison had just told her to not speak to Erica or Isaac. And she wasn't sure what that meant exactly, or why, but she did trust Alison.

More than that though, she trusted Nixie, who was now looking back to see who she was with. And upon catching Nixie's eyes, Lydia lifts up her hands in a helpless gesture, asking silently 'what in the world is going on'. Nixie just nods firmly at Scott, and Lydia knows that it means that Lydia, for the moment, is safe. What the hell she's in danger from or how, she has no clue. But she's safe for now.

And Lydia knows who Nixie trusts, and those would be Alison, Scott, and Stiles. So when she was with those three, she could know she'd be safe.

The rest of the time… well, that was up for debate.

Nixie turns back to her station, and then freezes again when she hears Stiles saying to Isaac, "If you harm one perfect strawberry blonde hair on her head, I'm gonna turn your little werewolf ass into a fur coat and give it to her as a birthday present."

Isaac just laughs and asks, "Really? I've never actually been to one of her big, invite-only birthday parties. I did ask her out once though."

Nixie can't help but smirk when Stiles comments, "Sounds like the beginning to a heartfelt story. I'm gonna pass, thanks…" But Isaac continues anyway, "It was the first day of freshman year…"

And Stiles can't pass it up, so he says, "And you thought everything was gonna be different for you in high school, but she said no." Isaac chuckles and says, "Yeah. Yeah, she even laughed. Told me to come back when the bike I rode to school had an engine, not a chain." Stiles smirks himself and says, "Hmm, unrequited love's a bitch. Maybe you should write about it in English class, you know? Channel all that negative energy."

"Nah. I was thinking I'd channel it into killing her. I'm not very good at writing."

As Mr. Harris rings the bell again and makes them switch, Isaac is about to get up and move to Lydia's desk.

The hand that grips his shoulder and shoves him back into his seat shocks him so much that he actually falls back down. Stiles hurriedly scrambles to be next to Lydia for the next round, and Isaac finds himself held to the same desk by Nixie, who takes the seat next to him.

Turning her gaze away from him, she begins mixing the different chemicals and salts into beakers for the experiment. Isaac watches her for a moment, and then reaches out for the vile she was holding. It was shaking in her grip.

Frowning, Isaac says, "Nixie… you… you don't have to be afraid of me. I'm not going to…" "I'm not afraid of you dumbass." Turning towards him finally, eyes glaring harder than he's ever seen, she says between her teeth, "I am pissed at you. I'm pissed as hell. And if you so much as scratch my best friend in the desk behind us, I will help Stiles skin you alive and deliver your werewolf ass to her as a present."

Leaning in even closer, she says, "And when I'm done with that, I will kill you. Slowly, and painfully, and in the most imaginatively awful way I can come up with. And I promise you… you have not met anyone with a more active imagination than me. I can be quite creative when I want to be."

When she leans back, Isaac is staring at her in shock. To this point, he hadn't been threatened by her yet. He'd honestly never expected to do anything to her that would cause her to need to. But she just had, and he found himself actually afraid of her for the first time.

Nixie glares a moment longer, and then turns back to the experiment and says, "She's family to me Isaac. She's the family I choose. And family is everything to me. And I will kill you and Erica and the whole rest of the world if I have to… in order to keep her safe." As the bell rings again, Nixie stands up and says, "Just keep that in mind. Because I don't hate you. Not yet. But you aren't family either. She is. And I will run you over to get to her."

Nixie ends up next to a girl named Brooklyn for this last time, and though Isaac is sitting next to Lydia, she feels at least slightly confident in the fact that he won't wolf out on her and try to kill her here in class. He wouldn't even try to make her leave.

Stiles isn't as confident though. He tries to get up and go to Lydia. But Mr. Harris smacks his hand with a pointer stick and says, "Mr. Stilinski, If you're trying to test my patience, I guarantee it'll be a failing grade."

And when he turns around, he pauses under Nixie's firm gaze. Lowering his pointer, he moves back to the front of the room, but he can still feel her eyes on him, even as he continues to face the board.

Then Nixie turns to her right and sees Erica sitting next to Alison, talking about Lydia at first, but then about Scott and how Erica doesn't think they'll last. Alison simply says, "You think you can hurt me by sliding your hand up his thigh?" "Would you rather it be your thigh?"

As Alison feels the claws descend on to her own thigh, Erica smirks and says, "Come on. Girl-fight in lab. It'll be hot."

Mr. Harris whips to turn around when he hears a chair slide back and actually slam into the desk behind it. And if it had been any other student, he would've loudly and very humiliatingly told them to sit the hell back down and finish the experiment.

But it wasn't any other student. It was Nixie. She moved to Alison's table, dragged Erica's seat back from where it was at the desk, and simply said, "Get out."

Lydia had, for a moment, briefly thought Alison was being a hypocrite for talking to Erica when she'd told Lydia that she shouldn't. But now… now Nixie's actions made it seem like Alison didn't want to be talking to Erica anymore than they wanted Lydia talking to either her or Isaac.

Erica looks up at Nixie with wide eyes, but Nixie simply tilts her head and says in a slower and more dangerous tone, "Get the fuck out of my chair."

She moves then, switching over to the chair Nixie had just vacated. Sitting down, Nixie catches Scott looking back at her, an appreciative look on his face. She nods to him, and then looks down at Alison's thigh. Five points have gone through her tights and are letting out a little bit of blood. Not exactly the worst thing that could've happened.

Still unacceptable. Nixie hands her a few paper towels from the end of the table and then says, "Press down firmly. It'll stop in a minute." "Thanks." Nixie nods, and then looks up at Mr. Harris.

He's still watching her, not entirely sure what just happened. But when he meets her eyes, he simply nods to himself that it must've been important for some reason, and then rings the bell again and says, "Time's up. If you've catalyzed the reaction correctly, you should now be looking at a crystal."

Nixie holds up the crystal in the jar at Alison and her desk, and then can't help smirking at Stiles when he makes a face at the blob that's in their beaker.

Lydia has a crystal as well. Of course she would. She was a genius. This was child's play for her.

Then Mr. Harris says, "Now, for the part of that last experiment I'm sure you'll all enjoy, you can eat it."

Nixie shrugs as she looks at it and says, "Cool," before handing it over to Alison. Alison just grins and takes it and nibbles on one end, laughing a little before saying, "It's like pure sugar." Nixie smiles and says, "Awesome."

Then Nixie looks over at Lydia again, who has just gotten her crystal and is dropping it to her tongue.

And a drop of something was covering the crystal.

Son of a bitch.

Nixie was starting to stand up when Scott rushed up at the same time and shouted, "Lydia!"

Apparently he'd just come to the same conclusion that Nixie had… but it was too late. She'd already tasted the crystal. She should be paralyzed, falling onto the floor from not being able to control her body anymore.

Except she wasn't. She was fine. And she looked at Scott like he was crazy for a moment, until she also saw Nixie's worried gaze. So instead, Lydia simply asked, "What?" Scott stares at her a moment longer, wondering why Lydia wasn't falling to floor, before finally picking up his chair and saying, "Nothing."

As Lydia continued to eat the crystal, and still didn't end up paralyzed, Alison asks from beside Nixie, "What's happening? What did she do?" Nixie shakes her head in frustration and says, "Lydia just failed the test for not being a kanima." "What?!"

Nixie nods to Alison's shocked eyes, and then says, "We need to keep her with us at all times the rest of the day. At least one of us is on her, always. She's not to be left alone, at all, ever. Got it?" "Got it."

Nixie looks from Erica to Isaac then, and says in a whisper meant for them, "And I will kill you both if you so much as lay a finger on any of the four people in this room that actually matter to me."

And Isaac, though he can feel the threat very clearly, can't help but smile a little when Nixie adds, "Of course, I'm talking mostly to Erica. Isaac, at least most of the time, acts like he has some semblance of a brain."

* * *

They all sneak into Coach's private office later; Alison, Scott, Stiles, and Nixie. Nixie wasn't fond of that part, having just stated that Lydia was to not be left alone. But they couldn't exactly talk to her about all of this to her face, so Lydia couldn't come here. As soon as the door closes, Nixie says to Scott, "Be quick."

He nods to her, and then explains to all of them, "Derek is waiting outside for Lydia." Alison turns to him and asks, "Waiting to kill her?" "If he thinks she's the kanima, then yes, especially after what happened at the pool."

Stiles reaffirms, "It's not her." Scott looks at him and says, "Stiles, she didn't pass the test, man. Nothing happened." "No, it can't be her."

Nixie moves to his side and says, "I agree with Stiles. Derek's method of testing… I don't think it's full proof. I managed to talk to Jackson again about when Derek forced him to taste the venom, and he said that Derek was likening it to the idea that a snake can't be poisoned by it's own venom. But this thing… it's not a snake. It's supernatural. And yes, it looks like some kind of lizard, but we don't know how accurately we can compare it to normal animals."

Stiles sighs in relief, and then looks to her again when Nixie says, "And also… again, Lydia isn't having any gaps in her memories. She doesn't have to think very hard about where she's been at times that the kanima has appeared. She knows. Meaning it's not her."

Running a hand through her hair, Nixie looks at Stiles and says, "That being said… she did fail the test. Which, at the very least, means she is definitely something."

Then back to Scott, she says, "But not this."

Before Nixie can argue her case further though, Alison says, "It doesn't matter though, if we believe it or not. Because right now, Derek thinks it's her. And he's going to try and kill her, whether we agree with him or not. So either we've got to convince him that's he's wrong… or we've got to figure out a way to protect her."

Nixie nods in agreement, and then nods to Scott as well when he says, "Well, I don't think he's going to do anything right now. Not at school?" And Alison asks, "And what about after school?" Scott lifts up his arms helplessly at that, but then they look at Nixie when she says, "We'll take her with us." Stiles turns Nixie to face him and asks, "How are you going to explain that though? Okay? All of us going together with her to one of our houses? She's going to want to know why?" "It won't matter. She'll listen to me."

Stiles tilts his head a bit, wondering how sure Nixie is of that. Nixie just nods and says, "Lydia knows how I operate, alright. Everything I do is about protecting you guys. She's included in that. So if I tell her she has to come with us, she will. It won't matter if I can't exactly explain why. She'll come because I said so."

To Alison, Nixie says, "And in the meantime, let's try to work on this at another angle. Aside from the one where we just form a circle around Lydia at all times to keep Derek away from her." Alison nods and asks, "What if we can prove Derek's wrong?" Stiles shakes his head though and says, "By three o'clock? We don't have time."

But Alison suggests, "There may be something in the beastiary." Stiles, frustrated, says, "Oh, you mean the nine-hundred-page book written in archaic Latin that none of us can read? Good luck with that."

"Hey!" All three of them turn their heads to Nixie, and Stiles sighs under her gaze and says, "Look, I'm sorry. This is…" Nixie puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "This is a high-stress situation. We all know that. We get it. Especially for you, alright? But biting off each other's heads isn't going to help us figure a way out of this. We need to think about this from every angle possible. The beastiary is one of them. It's a good thought."

And then Nixie says to Alison, "But Stiles poses a point. We can't read the damn thing." Alison nods, and then says, "Actually, I think I know someone who might be able to translate it." Scott nods to her, and then says, "I can… talk to Derek. Maybe convince him to give us a chance to prove it's not Lydia." Nixie nods, but then shakes her head when Scott looks at her.

Scott sighs and says, "You know he likes you best out of any of us. I might have an actual shot of convincing him if you come with me." "I know, and I'm sorry Scott, but no. I'm done dealing with Derek for now. And someone needs to stay on Lydia to make sure Erica and Isaac don't try anything while they're here. I'm on Lydia. I have no other job right now."

Scott nods to that, and then says, "Alright. Everybody go. We'll meet up after school at Stiles' jeep. We might need to figure an alternate route out of school though, if I can't convince Derek to give us time." Nixie nods and says, "Stiles and I will work on that. You two try and work out your two theories. Go."

They all agree, but then Scott turns to Alison and says, "But if anything happens, you guys let me handle it. Okay?" Alison looks at him and asks, "What does that mean?" "It means you can't heal like I do. I just don't want you getting hurt."

Alison gives him an annoyed look before standing up and turning towards her bag. Nixie shrugs when Scott looks at her wondering what she's doing. Then Alison pulls out a small crossbow, unfolding it with a snap. Holding it up, she says, "I can protect myself."

But at Scott's concerned gaze, Nixie knows what he's thinking about. He's thinking about Gerard, and how the man wasn't everything he appeared to be. And how if Gerard knew that Alison was helping them protect a potentially dangerous supernatural creature, he might not be so forgiving as he sometimes appeared to be.

Alison asks, "What? Did something else happen?" Scott glances at Nixie, who shakes her head at him from behind Stiles. They couldn't tell anyone else about Gerard yet. They needed to keep this just between them. The smaller the circle of people who knew about what Gerard was doing, the better their chance of success at beating him in his own game of deception.

So instead of telling Alison about any of that, Scott says, "I just don't want you getting hurt. Seriously, if anything goes wrong, you call me, okay? I don't care if your dad finds out! Call, text, scream, yell, whatever. I'll hear you and I'll find you as fast as I can."

Alison stares at him for a moment, before nodding gently and promising, "I will." Scott nods back, and then says, "We have until three." As he gets ready to open the door again, he hears a sharp hissing sound, and turns around just in time to catch the arrow that was going straight for his face.

Stiles looks at him in shock for a moment before jerking forward as the harsh slap hits him in the back of the head. Nixie gives him a harsh look and says, "Seriously Stiles! Seriously! Because we don't have enough problems right now." "Sorry. Sorry dude. Sorry. It's a sensitive trigger on that." Nixie rolls her eyes, and then says, "Come on. Let's get this show on the road. Lydia's with the counselor right now, and I need to be there outside when she comes out. Enough of the chit chat. Let's move out people."

The tension in the room relieves a little, and Alison looks at Scott and asks, "Should it always be considered bad when Nixie starts talking in military lingo." Scott grins at Nixie, who winks at him, and then he says, "Not always. But eight times out of ten, we can be sure that shit is about to go down."

* * *

Lydia moves through the library with Stiles at her back. He reaches out to grab her arm gently, but she glances back at him with an annoyed expression, so he eases back.

Only to reassert himself as soon as she gets close to another person.

Lydia would seriously consider turning around and telling him to bug off… except Nixie was acting the same way. In a more subtle and manageable manner… but just as protective. She'd been there to meet Lydia as soon as she'd gotten out of her therapy session. And when walking down the hall, though she didn't reach out to grab Lydia or hover closer than normal, Lydia didn't miss how her eyes kept zipping back and forth across the hall.

Nixie was looking for danger… for the threat. And Lydia didn't know what it was, or who they were looking for… but if it was enough to have Nixie on edge...

Well, Lydia decides as she pulls a book off the shelf, she can handle Stiles being more of an overbearing presence than usual. In fact, she finds she can almost look at him endearingly as he spins around and gives people his version of a dead eye when he thinks they're getting too close to her.

Meanwhile, outside, Scott has just taken Boyd to the ground. Which is when Derek appears, seemingly out of thin air, and says, "She failed the test." Scott looks at him in surprise when he's suddenly just there, but then shakes it off and says, "Yeah, which doesn't prove anything. Lydia's different." Derek nods and says, "I know. At night, she turns into a homicidal walking snake." "I'm not going to let you kill her Derek."

"Who said I was gonna do it?"

Boyd and Derek are both grinning, but then Scott turns back to them and says, "You're both God damn idiots." He steps back, but when Derek puts himself in front of Scott again, Derek says, "I think you should stay here. I already got in trouble with Nixie once when you got hurt. I wouldn't…" "You think you're not in trouble now? Both of you?"

Boyd frowns in confusion, but Scott throws up his hands in frustration and says, "Neither of you know her the way I do. The way both Stiles and I do. Okay?" Looking back at Derek, Scott says, "The reason I won't let you kill Lydia… is because I know already that in order to do it, you're going to have to kill Nixie first. And I don't just mean you. Erica or Isaac… whoever you want to do it for you… they're going to have to kill Nixie first too, before they can even touch Lydia."

Derek frown and says, "Lydia's dangerous. That means she's dangerous to both you and Stiles. So Nixie shouldn't…" "Nixie doesn't agree with your test method. She doesn't think you can just up and compare this kanima to a snake and expect all the rules of a snake to apply to this supernatural creature. Lydia is family, alright. She's the family that Nixie chose. Same as me. Same as Stiles. And same as Alison. We're here family. And nothing; absolutely nothing means more to her than that."

Stepping back from Derek, Scott shakes his head and says, "And she's never had to prove it, and I really hope she doesn't have to prove it now. But I know, as sure as I've ever known anything in my life… Nixie means it when she says you have to go through her before you can get to us. She's not invincible and she can't be everywhere at once, I know all of that. But if she can… if she has the opportunity, she will make you kill her first, before she lets you get to whoever she's trying to protect."

Moving back towards the school again, Scott says, "Just… think about that Derek. Please think about it."

But before he can actually get away, Boyd tackles him back to the ground.

Derek sighs and says, "Look Scott. I don't know why you feel like you have to protect everyone now. But even so, Lydia has killed people, and she's gonna do it again. And next time, it's gonna be one of us." "What if you're wrong?"

Derek shakes his head in annoyance at Scott and says, "She was bitten by an Alpha. It's her." But Scott insists, "You saw that thing up close. You know it's not like us." "But it is! We're all shapeshifters. You don't know what you're dealing with. And frankly, neither does Nixie. It happens rarely, and it happens for a reason."

Scott looks at him for a moment, and then asks in sincere curiosity, "What reason?" Sensing that for the moment, he and Scott aren't fighting, Derek gentles his tone and says, "Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person that you are."

He reaches down a hand to help Scott up, and after pulling him up off the ground, Derek says, "Even Stiles calls her cold-blooded." Scott shakes his head and says, "First of all, everyone would. Except for Nixie. And Nixie is the only person here who knows anything about the real Lydia. Stiles knows some, but Nixie knows exactly who Lydia is on the inside. And Nixie would never call her that."

He holds up a hand to stop Derek from arguing on that point, and then says, "Don't argue with me about Nixie right now. I have another question to ask. What if, somehow, Lydia's immune? What if she's got something inside of her that makes her immune to the bite, which is why she didn't get paralyzed?"

Derek shakes his head and says, "No one's immune! I've never seen it or heard of it. It's… It's never happened Scott."

"What about Jackson?"

Derek freezes up at that. So… they finally knew. Scott nods and says, "That's why you tested him isn't it? Because you gave him what he wanted, didn't you?" "Look, Scott…" "Peter said the bite either kills you or turns you! You were probably hoping that he would die. But nothing happened, right? And you have no idea why, do you?"

Derek glares at him slightly, but concedes, "No." Scott looks up at him hopefully and says, "Well, I have a theory. Lydia's immune and somehow, she passed it on to Jackson. You know I'm right!" "No!" Scott flinches back slightly at Derek's outright denial of the possibility. Shaking his head, Scott says, "You cannot do this!"

But Derek says back just as fiercely, "Look, I can't let her live! You should've known that! Nixie, should've known that!"

Scott stares at him a moment more, and then they all look to his pocket when his phone dings. Pulling it out and looking at it, Scott nods at Nixie's message, and then looks back to Derek. "I was hoping I would convince you, but then… I wasn't counting on it."

Derek gives him a confused look, but then glances at the phone. Snatching it out of Scott's hand, he looks down at the text Nixie just sent him. And it reads….

" _Operation: Screw Derek Over, is under way. Tell him he can kiss my ass next time I see him."_

Inside the school, Lydia has no idea why they had to take such a roundabout way to get to the parking lot. And she's had enough of Stiles holding onto her arm, even with Nixie standing nearby. She feels like she's being herded, and she doesn't exactly appreciate it.

Jerking out of Stiles hold, she asks, "If we're doing a study group, why didn't we just stay in the library?" Stiles puts a hand on her shoulder this time and says, "Because we're meeting up with somebody else." But Lydia counters back again, "Well, why don't they just meet us in the library?"

Nixie can't help laugh a little when Stiles exclaims, "Oh, that would've been a great idea! Too late!" Glancing at Stiles, Alison, and then even Jackson, Lydia then stops and says, "Okay, hold on."

Jackson then grips Lydia's arm and says, "Lydia, shut up and walk."

Lydia would've argued further… except it occurred to her that Nixie wasn't stopping Jackson from practically forcing her to walk out of the school. Glancing back at Nixie, Lydia gapes at her, because Nixie is walking backwards at the moment.

Nixie does a full circle, checking the hall behind and around them for signs of Isaac, Erica, or Boyd at this point. Facing forward again, she meets Lydia's confused gaze, and then says, "Please Lydia."

So Lydia keeps on going, thoroughly confused, but knowing that for whatever reason, it's necessary right now.

* * *

"If we're studying at Scott's house, then where's Scott?"

Nixie glances around as well and says, "Good question." Lydia looks to Nixie's concerned gaze, which appears to be growing more concerned and stressed by the second. Putting a hand on Nixie's shoulder, she says, "I'm sure he's just running late or something." Nixie turns to her and smiles a little before nodding and saying, "Right."

Inside the house, Stiles hurriedly snaps all of the locks into place. Lydia gives him a 'what the hell' look, to which he says, "Uh… There's been a few break-ins, around the neighborhood."

And Lydia was willing to accept that, except that Stiles then grabbed a chair and shoved it under the doorknob. Lydia gestures to that as well, to which Stiles then says, "And a murder!"

They all look at Nixie when she starts laughing. Wiping at her eye, she just shakes her head and Stiles and says, "Sorry. Just… seriously? What is the chair gonna do that the locks aren't already attempting to do?" "Well, you come up with something better genius."

Lydia grins at Nixie, but then looks to Jackson when he says, "Lydia, follow me. I need to talk to you for a minute." Nixie didn't miss how Alison had gestured for Jackson to keep Lydia occupied. Nevertheless, she wasn't all that thrilled about it. Lydia sighs as Jackson begins moving upstairs, and then asks, "Seriously? What is going on with everyone?" Nixie pats her on the shoulder and says, "It's been a stressful day."

Nixie glances up the stairs at Jackson, and then back to Lydia. Giving her shoulder a squeeze, she says, "He tries to pull anything, just holler. I'll kick his ass all the way into the next century." Lydia grins and says, "I'll keep that in mind." "As you should. I don't say these things just for my own benefit you know." "Obviously."

Once she's finally gone, Nixie moves back to the front door and asks, "Anything yet?" Stiles sighs and says, "Not yet. Are we sure bringing her to Scott's house was the best move?" Nixie shrugs, but then says, "Better than my place. They probably went there first." Stiles nods, but Alison asks in confusion, "Why would they look there first?" "Because I'm the more protective one out of all of us Alison. And Derek knows at least that much about me. And he probably knows I'm not keen on the idea of trying to use Scott's home as our fortress. I don't really give a shit if they tear up my place. They tear up Scott's house though… and…"

Alison grins and asks, "You'll beat them all in the head with a baseball bat?" "I was actually thinking lead pipe this time, but same basic principal. You catch on fast." They grin at each other, and then Stiles says, "Okay. Now we've got problems." "Where?"

He points and moves aside so Nixie can see. And sure enough, on the other side of the street, Derek, Boyd, Erica, and Isaac are all standing, watching the house like creepy stalkers out of a movie. Nixie makes a face at them and asks, "Do they now know how creepy they look? I mean… seriously?"

Stiles pats her on the shoulder and says, "Might want to call Scott." "Right." Nixie dials his number, but then hands the phone to Alison and says, "Here. You talk to him. He'll probably want to hear the sound of your voice anyway."

So Alison takes the phone, and Nixie takes up a position at the other window next to the right of the door.

Isaac spots her through the window and says to Derek, "Nixie's in there." Derek sighs and says, "Yes, I'm aware. Did you really expect her to be somewhere else?" Isaac shrugs, but then says, "Scott said we'd have to go through her to get to Lydia." Derek nods, and then says, "I'm an alpha. I can hold her off. Besides, she's still human. A resilient and resourceful human, no doubt. But she's still human. I'll try to work on keeping her busy while you go and take care of Lydia." "But…"

Derek looks over at him, and Isaac lowers his eyes in submission. But he still says, "She'll never forgive us if we kill her best friend."

Silence reigns for a moment, and then Derek simply says, "I know."

* * *

It doesn't take long to finally get dark. Nixie glances back towards the stairs where Jackson and Lydia went. They still hadn't come back yet, though Alison had gone to check on them once. They were still in Scott's bedroom for now, talking about something.

Nixie would go and check next time. And if Jackson was doing anything to make Lydia upset at this point, she'd still beat his ass, no matter how helpful he was trying to be right now. Besides, she knows he's only helping right now because he thinks he can get something out of it in return. She has no idea what that is exactly, but Jackson has only ever thought about himself really. She knows he's only here for himself now as well.

Glancing back out the window, watching as Derek and the others meander around the yard, grinning and joking, looking for ways in, Nixie then sighs and says, "What if we can't get them to leave?" Stiles looks over at her and says, "Study group turned slumber party? Could we spin that to Lydia?" Nixie shrugs and says, "I don't know. She already wasn't too thrilled about coming to a study group that we planned last minute. I seriously doubt she'll be happy about having to spend the night here without a bag of clothes and her makeup from her room with her."

Stiles nods, but then just to make himself feel better, he asks, "But you can get her to do it if we have to… right?" "Yeah. I'm just not going to enjoy forcing her to stay here." "Yeah. Me neither."

Alison comes back to Nixie's side to look out the window, and as she glances down at her phone, Nixie raises an eyebrow and asks, "Penny for your thoughts?" Alison looks up at her, then at Stiles, and then says, "I think… I think I have to call my dad."

Stiles whips his head towards them and says, "No. If he finds you're here… you and Scott…" Alison says sadly, "I know. But… I mean… what are we supposed to do?" She looks back out the window at them and says, "They're not here to scare us, okay? They're here to kill Lydia."

But as Alison picks up the phone again, she still hesitates on whether to call Chris or not. As much as they all want to protect Lydia, Alison doesn't want to give Scott up either.

The choice is taken from her when Nixie takes the phone gently from her hand. Sticking Alison's phone in her back pocket, she says gently, "Your dad can be here in ten minutes time. Five, if we tell him to hurry the hell up and step on it. Let's give Scott a little more time. Then if we have too, we'll call your dad. Alright?"

Alison nods slowly after a moment, taking in a shaky breath before returning to the window. Nixie pulls out her own phone and texts Scott that he needs to hurry up and get here. Then she turns back to the doorway where Stiles and Alison are standing on either side.

She ponders for a moment, and then says, "Shoot one of them." Both turn to look at her, and while Alison asks, "What? Are you serious?" Stiles nods and says, "That's what I'm talking about." Nixie gives him a look, to which he shrugs and says, "What? We told Scott we could protect ourselves, right? Let's do it. They'll heal anyway. I say go for it."

Alison looks at Nixie a moment longer, and then nods and says, "Alright." Stiles turns to Nixie and asks, "Just to clarify, you really think that'll work?" Nixie nods, and then says, "Derek expects me to fight for Lydia. As in, he expects that I'm with her and that I'll fight once he gets close. But they're not expecting us to be the ones to start the fight. I think it'll spook them. At least enough to make the other three think about turning back. And that'll put Derek on edge."

Back to Alison, Nixie says, "So you shoot one of them. Let them know that none of us are letting them in here without a fight." Alison nods again, and then peers out the window and asks, "Which one?" Stiles shrugs and says, "Derek. Preferably in the head." But they turn to Nixie when she says, "If Scott can catch an arrow to the head from just a few feet away, Derek will definitely have enough time to catch an arrow from a good twenty-five yards away. He's an alpha. Not him."

Stiles nods and then says, "Alright. One of the other three then."

Alison frowns and says, "Two? You mean two?" Stiles jerks his head to look at her and says, "No, I mean three." They both peer out the windows again, and Stiles asks, "Where the hell's Isaac?"

Nixie for her part, is suddenly gently pushed aside and into a nearby chair. Alison, on the other hand, has her crossbow knocked from her hands and is shoved into the doorway of the dining room before then being thrown to the floor in that room. Stiles goes next, in the opposite direction, thrown and shoved to the floor of the living room.

He scrambles onto his back, looking up at Isaac above him, with eyes glowing yellow and claws extended. Stiles tries to shuffle back, to get up and run away into another room. But Isaac grabs him by the back of his jacket and hauls him back to his feet before throwing him down again.

Stiles' lip is busted, and he manages to scramble up onto the sofa behind him. Isaac is still stalking closer, smirking even as he seems to be targeting and hunting his prey.

That's when a harsh swing of a bat collides with his head. And if that had been all, Isaac still would've been forced to stop hurting Stiles. His head was hurt and though he was healing fast, the edges of his vision still went a little white for a second.

But that wasn't it. He found himself hit in the head again, and again, and then a fourth time, before he heard the bat drop to the floor. Then he felt a hand grab the back of his head, and he was shoved down so his face and nose made an audible crunching sound as Nixie slammed him down into her knee.

Dropping him to the floor, Nixie makes sure he's out for the moment, before then glancing towards the dining room. But Alison is already gone, hopefully checking on Lydia. Back to Stiles, Nixie asks, "You alright?" He nods, but as he stands up, he asks, "Is Isaac going to be?" "He'll be fine. He's lucky I didn't do worse to him."

Stiles nods, and then they both glance up when they hear Alison say, "Guys! It's here!"

Nixie dashes for the stairs and hurls her way up them, just as she hears someone downstairs busting in the front door. Skidding to a stop at Scott's door, she tries to open it, but finds it locked. "Alison?"

The lock is quickly undone, and Nixie hurries inside and relocks it back just as fast. Looking to Alison, her crossbow ready, Nixie then glances to the window where Alison points. Sure enough, that paralytic ooze is dripping from the edge of the windowsill.

But for the moment, that gives them the advantage. Looking at Alison, Nixie gestures towards the stuff and says, "Coat the arrow in it. If I'm right, Erica's coming. I don't know if she can catch it or not… but if she can, this will make sure she still goes down." Alison nods and quickly and carefully coats the arrow in the venom.

Nixie then asks, "Where's Lydia?" "Not sure. She… maybe she's…" "She's not this damn kanima!"

Glancing around, Nixie then marches over to Scott's bathroom and knocks. She can hear Lydia gasp from the other side, so Nixie says, "It's me Lydia. Let me in."

The door opens, and as Lydia actually pulls Nixie into the bathroom with her, she says, "I called the police. They should be coming, I think. What is going on?" "Right now… I'm honestly not sure." Because Derek was here to kill the kanima; to kill Lydia. But here Lydia sat in the bathroom, clearly not in any kind of kanima form. So who…

The bedroom door breaks open, and as Lydia flinches at the sound, Nixie pats her shoulder gently before saying, "Just relax. Alison and I have got this. Understand?" Lydia nods, and then Nixie cracks the door open a bit so she can see what's going on.

Erica smirks at Alison with her crossbow pointed at her chest. Crossing her arms, she says, "This might make me sound like a bitch, but I've always wondered what it feels like to steal someone's boyfriend."

Emerging from the bathroom, eyes alight with rage, Nixie leans back against the bathroom door and says, "You're right. You are a bitch. But in order to actually feel that, you'd have actually had to steal someone's boyfriend. And honey, you aren't that special."

Erica flinches slightly at the words, but then looks back to Alison and says, "I don't think it would be that hard to pull off with Scott. Because why would he wait around to have ten minutes with you, when he can have me any time he wants." Nixie says through her teeth, "How about the fact that he has standards, unlike you apparently."

Alison fires the arrow when Erica turns to Nixie, maybe about to lunge at her this time. Catching it though, for Erica, is easy. Alison turns her gaze to Nixie and smirks. Erica, for a moment, grins and asks, "You didn't actually think that would work did you?"

Nixie smirks back at Alison, and then says, "Actually, I'm pretty sure it worked out splendidly. Right Alison?" "I couldn't agree more."

Erica frowns, and then looks down at the venom coated arrow in her hand. She snarls briefly, but its cut off as soon as it starts and she falls to the ground, paralyzed from the neck down. Nixie stands up from the door and walks to meet Alison beside Erica's fallen and prone body.

Leaning down to her, Alison whispers in her ear, "I thought you were psychic." Nixie chuckles with her, and then looks down at Erica's darting eyes and says, "Bitch." Alison stands up and asks, "Lydia?" "In the bathroom."

Then Nixie looks back down at Erica. Sighing, Nixie says, "I liked you better when you were epileptic Erica. At least then I thought you had a soul." Standing up, Nixie grabs her by the back of her collar and drags her to the stairs, and then tosses her down them. Growling and fighting has commenced downstairs again, but as Nixie races down, she sees that Stiles is still in the living room, and it's Scott who has finally arrived and is kicking Isaac's ass.

When Scott is finished and has Isaac by the back of his jacket, Nixie opens the door leisurely and says, "My dear Scott. I do believe it's time to take out the trash." Scott chuckles as he chucks both Erica and Isaac back out onto the lawn at Derek and Boyd's feet.

Derek sighs in annoyance at both of them, and then notes that Isaac's nose is incredibly flat and broken at the moment. Looking back up at the porch, where Stiles, Scott, Alison, and Nixie are now standing, he notes the bloody patch on Nixie's right knee. Yeah, that particular injury had been all her.

Sighing again, Derek says, "I think I'm finally getting why you keep refusing me Scott. You're not an Omega." Nixie crosses her arms and says, "He was never an Omega, dumbass." Derek gives her a look, and then says to Scott, "You're already an alpha of your own pack."

Then he grins and says, "But you know you can't beat me."

Nixie steps up beside Scott, stopping only when his arm shoots out to prevent her progress. She still glares at Derek past him though and says, "Come up here and prove it jackass." Scott gives her a look, to which she says, "What? Alison has her crossbow. I have my bat. You have claws. Stiles has his everlasting sarcastic wit. Together, we can pound him six feet under the ground in ten seconds flat."

Scott raises an eyebrow at her and says, "I'm not so sure of that." "That's why you have me. My confidence extends to you." He grins at her, but then says to the approaching Derek, "I don't know if I agree with her or not. But I do know we can hold you off until the cops get here."

Derek frowns at that, and as the sirens begin blaring in the distance, he turns his head that way.

That's when they all here the scurrying footsteps on the roof. Heedless of the others for now, Nixie bounds down the steps and looks up at the roof to see if it's the kanima. And as Scott and the others join her… it sure enough is. Scaling across the roof on two hands and two feet, just like a lizard might.

Derek looks murderous, and Nixie knows he plans on going after it. He looks to Boyd and says, "Get them out of here."

And then, as Derek begins to head in the direction of the kanima, they all stop and look as Lydia comes out of the house and demands, "Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?!"

Derek stares at her in shock, but then turns his head to see Scott when he starts saying, "The kanima. It's…"

Nixie slaps a hand over his mouth fast, and then glares at Derek before turning to the others and saying, "Come on. We should get out of here. Lydia! Come with me. And whatever you do, don't associate with any of the other four assholes again."

Lydia doesn't argue, walking to meet Nixie on the lawn before they pile into Stiles jeep. Nixie then marches back over to Derek and Boyd. Narrowing her eyes at Derek, she says, "We told you." "Nixie… I… I really thought…" "You assumed. And assuming is the worst possible way to go about making decisions. Educated guessing is fine. Assuming is stupid as shit."

Then she looks to Boyd, and says, "You are on thin ice. These two I've already lost an interest in for the moment. But you… you are not lost to me yet. But you are on incredibly thin ice. It's cracking as we speak. Do not… I repeat… DO NOT; piss me off further. Got me?"

Boyd nods after a moment, and then Nixie marches back to the jeep and hops into the passenger seat.

For the first few minutes going down the road, everything is dead silent. And Lydia honestly wants to break it… except she can see Nixie rubbing at her temples profusely to try and ward off a headache.

Alison turns to look at her when Lydia starts digging around in her purse. "Lydia… just give us…" "Be quiet. Talking doesn't help her."

At first Alison doesn't understand what she means, but then Lydia pulls out a bottle of Advil from her bag. Looking towards the front, Lydia asks, "Stiles, do you have anything to drink?" "Um… yeah, right here."

He pulls out a coke that he hadn't opened after school yet. It's still kind of cold too, which is good. Lydia hands up the bottle of Advil to Nixie and says, "Take two."

And in this case, it's one of the few moments that Nixie does what she's told without questioning the person who told her. Usually it was Lydia doing what Nixie said, because she knew Nixie was trying to keep her safe. But this time, it was Nixie listening, because Lydia is trying to help Nixie feel better after a clearly rough night.

After taking it, Nixie says, "Stiles, get us to Alison's car. Alison, please give Lydia a ride to home. I'll meet both of you there later. Or, Alison, if you need to leave first that's fine. But Lydia, I'll come over later when I can. The boys and I have a project we need to do first, and then I'll be right over. Sound good?" Alison nods, but waits for Lydia to say, "Okay," and then directs Stiles to where she parked her car earlier.

Upon getting out, after Lydia has hugged Nixie and is getting into the car, Alison says, "I'll… I'll at least try to get her to not say anything about what happened? I'll…" "Don't worry too much about it Alison. She won't." "Nixie… how do you know that? You…"

Nixie looks at her and smiles wryly before saying, "Because Lydia, even if she doesn't know it, is still trying to make up for earlier this year, when she behaved like such a bitch that I actually told her we weren't friends anymore. She knows I want… that I need her to stay quiet. So she will. She might argue with you for a bit about it, but she will. Just… don't lie to her, okay?" "Alright."

As soon as the girls are out of sight, Stiles asks, "Now what?" And Nixie smiles when Scott says for her, "Now we try to go after Derek and Jackson… hopefully before Derek can try to kill him." Nixie nods and says, "Good call Scott, our fearless leader."

Scott gives her a look, but then chuckles when Nixie asks, "What? Derek said you were an alpha of your own pack. And I mean… seriously… it suits you. It suits you a hell of a lot more than it suits him in any case."

* * *

And that's Chapter 5! I'll try to also post chapter 6 before the end of the day. (Again, I make no promises. This is just wishful thinking, and can only happen if the usually elusive internet holds up.) :)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 6: Episode 2x6

When Stiles speeds down to beneath the concrete substructure and meets the road spikes and metal fence, he screeches to a halt and asks, "Alright, now what do we do?"

But Scott is already out of the jeep, and Nixie is climbing out behind him. As Scott falls over the other side of the fence, Nixie says to Stiles, "Try to find a way around Stiles." Then she scales the fence as fast as she can and takes off after Scott.

She loses him about half way towards the sounds of hissing and growling… but she didn't expect to actually keep up with him. Nixie still keeps heading in that direction though, trying to find the source of the sounds so she can help if at all possible.

The gunshots draw her up short, and she sprints even harder in that direction. If it's Chris, then she knows Scott is safe. But if it's Gerard… or anybody else for that matter… well, then Scott might be in trouble.

And Derek too. Nixie's still pissed as hell at him… but she also still doesn't hate him. Which just makes her that much angrier at him for being a jackass. Seriously… it's getting exhausting.

When she finally arrives, she sees Chris walking past the seemingly dead kanima, now lying on his back on the ground.

Jackson. Nixie wonders if knowing who it was would make Chris feel any remorse over the creature he just killed. Would it matter that it was a teenager? Granted, a selfish and egotistical teenager, that Nixie herself wasn't very fond of. But still…

Then Nixie's eyes widen as he gets back up off the ground. She's not sure what else Chris was looking for, or what else he thought he saw. But he wasn't turning back around, and that thing was about to be ready to attack him again.

And since it clearly didn't matter how many times Chris shot Jackson apparently, she shouts, "Chris! Behind you!"

He jerks at the sound of Nixie's voice, but spins at her warning and aims his gun at the kanima's head. Except his gun is empty. He hurriedly drops the empty clip and begins to reload, but Jackson does a flip and spin and kicks him back a good ten feet and into the concrete column behind him.

Nixie sprints towards him, hoping to at least give the kanima a different target to focus on while Chris reloads his gun. But the kanima doesn't approach her or Chris. Instead… it goes towards Gerard.

Who holds his hand out to the creature, as though trying to be a possible companion to it. That's what Alison had told her in the last text message she'd just sent. The kanima seeks a friend.

Is that what Gerard wanted from Scott? Did he somehow want to get Scott to ensure that the kanima became his friend?

But as Scott barrels into the creature, knocking it away and making it run in the other direction, Scott looks back at Gerard with a knowing look. So… maybe Scott knew more about what was wanted from him than he'd filled Nixie in on. She'd have to grill him about that later.

Right now, she helps Chris to his feet, and then stares at him for a moment before nodding and saying, "You'll be fine." She starts to take off at that, but pauses when Chris says, "Wait!"

Moving towards her, albeit a tad bit slower than normal, he looks her up and down, and then shrugs and asks, "What exactly are you planning to do if you catch the thing?" "Right now? Kick him in the face. Best I've got at this point."

Chris stares at her hard for a moment, and then sighs and reloads his gun quickly. Pulling back the slide, he then turns it around and hands it to her, saying, "I assume you know that you point and fire in front of you." "Obviously. But I've never shot a gun before. I'll suck and hit something I don't want to. Bad idea." "Better than you going after it unarmed at all. Take it. Hopefully you don't even catch the damn thing. But if you do… use it."

Nixie takes it after a moment longer, and then tucks it in the back of her jeans before taking off in the direction Scott went. And judging from the fact that Nixie can no longer see or hear them right off, she sighs and says to herself, "It's going to be a long night."

* * *

When she finally catches up to Scott, he grabs her hand and pulls her along with him after the thing. But honestly, he's already lost the trail. He can't smell him. Coming up on the other side of a night club, Scott sighs and says, "I don't know where he went." "It's alright Scott. We'll find him. Eventually someone will see him, scream, and then we'll know where to go."

When Scott looks at her with a frown, she says, "I didn't say it was a great plan, alright. But I'm low on options right now. And since you can't smell him, I don't know what else we're supposed to do. He scales walls, so it's not like he's leaving footprints for me to track or anything."

Then they both jump when Stiles scurries up behind them. "Sorry! Sorry, guys." Nixie huffs and asks, "Where did you go?" "I tried to find a way around! There wasn't one from my end. Then Scott texted me, and now I'm here. Funny how that works." "Oh shut up."

Stiles gives her shoulder a squeeze and asks, "Did either of you see where it went?" Nixie shakes her head while Scott says, "No, I lost him." Nixie gives him a look and says, "We lost him. I share part of the blame here."

Stiles looks to Scott though and asks, "But… what? You couldn't catch his scent?" Scott sighs, but then says, "I don't think he has one." Stiles sighs too, and then asks, "Alright, well, any clue where he's going?" Scott glances at Nixie and says, "To kill someone. And Nixie thinks we'll at least hear the screams and then we'll find him."

Stiles gives Nixie a look, to which she says, "I already pointed out it was not the greatest plan. I also pointed out, we're low on options. Don't either of you look at me like that. He's in lizard form, and he's on a mission it looks like. So he's definitely out here to kill someone tonight. That's all we're sure of at this point."

To which Stiles says, "Ah. That explains the claws and the fangs and all that. Good. Makes perfect sense now." "Exactly. I knew you'd understand." "Naturally." When Scott turns to both of them in exasperation, Stiles says, "What? Scott, come on. I'm one-hundred-forty-seven pounds of pale skin and fragile bone, okay? Sarcasm is my only defense. Well, that and Nixie, but that's only if my sarcasm fails."

Nixie nods, and then turns back to Scott when he says, "Just help me find it you guys."

He looks back to the street, but then gets pulls back around when Nixie grips his shoulder. She gives him a stern look and says, "Not 'it'. Jackson. It is Jackson underneath there." Scott sighs and says, "I know, I know. I'm sorry." Nixie nods and rubs his shoulder, but then they look to Stiles when he asks, "And it's all well and good that we know that, but does he know that?"

Nixie sighs and says, "I don't think so. At least… not yet. I know he was pissed at Lydia one day. He claimed that she had taken it from him, or done something to him to keep him from turning. At least, I think that's what he was talking about. So no… I don't think he knows yet."

Stiles nods, and then asks, "Did anybody else see him back at your house Scott?" Scott sighs as he thinks about that, and then says in confusion, "I mean, I don't think so. But he already passed Derek's test anyway." Stiles nods but says, "But that's just the thing. How?"

When Scott gives him a confused look, Nixie adds on, "How did he pass the test in the first place?" Scott runs a hand through his hair and says, "I don't know."

They all stand there quietly for a moment. Then Nixie snaps her fingers and looks to Stiles as she says, "Maybe it's like an either-or thing." She can feel Scott's confused gaze from behind her, but Stiles is nodding at her in understanding, knowing exactly what she means. And when he looks to Scott, he says, "Derek said that a snake can't be poisoned by it's own venom, right? So…"

Nixie turns to Scott and finishes, "When's the kanima not the kanima?" Scott ponders that a moment longer, and then says, "When it's Jackson." Nixie smiles and says, "Bingo!" Scott grins at her, and then turns back to watching the street.

Nixie is trying to help him at first… until Stiles grips her shoulder tightly and hisses, "Dude! Do you see that?" She leans back with him, and as Scott steps back to join them, they all watch as a lizard-like tail slithers inside of an open window on the floor above the night club. Sighing, Nixie says, "Great. Just freaking peachy." Stiles wraps an arm around her shoulders and says, "Alright, let's not freak out yet. He's inside, but that's all. I mean, what's he gonna do in there, with like, over a hundred people?"

But before Nixie can comment, Scott gasps and says, "I know who he's after." Stiles whips his head back down to Scott and asks, "What? How? Did you smell something?"

Scott nods and points to the next person in line for the club while saying, "Armani." Nixie follows his finger to see Danny standing in line, paying his fee and entering without a second thought to the danger that was lurking inside. Cursing under her breath, she says, "Come on. There's gotta be another way in."

They run around to the very back of the building, and after Stiles tugs and twists at the knob on the backdoor, he sighs and says, "No good. It's locked. Maybe there's, like, a window we could climb through or…"

Scott raises an eyebrow at Stiles as he ponders further possibilities, and then glances down to Nixie and asks, "Can you pick it?" "I don't have a bobby pin handy tonight, ironically enough. The one I had fell out while I was chasing you. Besides, it's a deadbolt, and I still need to perfect my method on those. But…"

She gestures to him, and when he gives her a confused look, Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "You're a werewolf Scott. Just… I don't know… see if you can rip the door open or something."

And… well, he doesn't rip the door off the hinges or anything like that. But Nixie still thinks ripping the door handle completely out of the door is pretty badass. Smirking, she watches as Scott slips it over Stiles shoulder, who is still looking up at the building pondering how else they might get in. And upon seeing the handle from the door now detached and in his hand, Stiles says, "Or… maybe there's a handle that we can rip off with supernatural strength. How did I not think of that one?"

Nixie puts an arm around his shoulders as they slip inside and she says, "It's been a long day and night. You should cut yourself a little slack." He grins down at her, and then follows as she takes off after Scott down a few other halls before they reach the main room of the club.

Now… Nixie knew, or at least had guessed from the start, that this might be a gay club. Simply because there were entirely too many guys entering without any other fancy-dressed girls hanging off their arms. And now, upon entering the club and realizing that there are literally no other girls in here, she knows she was correct in her line of thinking.

Scott, however, feels the need to state the obvious, and says, "Guys, everyone in here is a dude. I think we're in a gay club."

But as Nixie turns to her right, Stiles isn't right next to her anymore. And for a brief moment, she panics. But then they both look left as Stiles says from nearby, "Man, nothing gets past those keen werewolf senses, huh, Scott?"

And Stiles is surrounded by three of the dudes in this club who dress up as women. Cross-dressers, if Nixie remembers the term correctly.

She's not one to judge, let's get that straight. She doesn't exactly understand why a guy would want to wear a dress or high-heeled shoes… especially when she, herself, is not very fond of dresses or high-heeled shoes… but she's not one to judge.

Then Stiles points over towards the bar, where Danny was standing, and he says, "Nix, there's Danny. I think I know why he's here alone." Nixie raises an eyebrow and steps up to him so she can hear him better over the music. Leaning in, she asks, "Why's that?" "I think that guy he took to the formal… Michael, right? I think he broke up with him."

Nixie leans back at that, and then rolls her eyes and says, "Well, he's a dumbass then. Where's Danny?" "Over there." And Stiles grins and pats her on the shoulders before saying, "Now go. Sick him with your sarcasm and make him smile again. Hug him too, he'll appreciate that." "What else would I go over there to do?" "Just go make him feel better. He likes you best out of all of us."

Danny has just turned around, away from his ex and whatever other boy he was dancing with tonight. It had been more than a week… but he still wasn't over it. He wasn't sure he would get over it as fast as he would like to. He'd really thought Michael had liked him as much as he had liked Michael. But… apparently not.

The bartender glances back at the ex, and then focuses on Danny, honestly not sure of what to say to make him feel better. He'd already given Danny a drink on the house, but that didn't appear to be lifting his spirits either.

Danny jolted with a moment of surprise though when a firm hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed. But then he smiled a little when Nixie said from beside him, "You're better off without that asshole Danny." As she takes a stool beside him, he looks over at her and asks, "Is that right?" "Obviously. If he had any actual brains at all, he'd still be over here with you, trying to keep you on his arm. And instead, he dumped you and ran off for someone who has far less brain cells… probably so he can feel a little smarter himself."

Nixie takes a sip of his drink from him, and then shrugs and says, "You should be with someone smart enough to know how awesome you are Danny." Danny smiles at her in gratitude, and then laughs when she tacks on, "I mean… I would suggest me, because between you and I, I'm pretty freaking brilliant. But you don't exactly swing my way, so that's not going to work. We need to find you the boy version of me. Then you'd be set for life."

Even the bartender is chuckling, and Danny pats Nixie on the shoulder before saying, "Keep your eyes open and let me know when you find him. Alright?" "Sure thing. Be forewarned, it may take some time." Gesturing to herself as a whole with one hand, she adds with a grin, "This much perfection is hard to imitate. Could take years to find someone pulling it all off correctly."

Danny laughs again, and then wraps an arm around her as Nixie leans over to give him a hug. He glances at his ex one more time, and then sighs and admits to Nixie, "It still doesn't feel good though." "I know. But you know what you need my friend? A distraction. And again, I'd suggest myself, but I don't think this is exactly the greatest setting for me to be the distraction." Danny chuckles again, and then Nixie turns to the bartender and asks, "What about you? Any ideas? Remember, we're talking high caliber quality here."

He grins at her, and then nods towards a guy on the dance floor that has been eyeing Danny since he walked in the door. "That guy. He'd feel good." Nixie glances that way, and then nods and says, "Go Danny. Sick him." He gives her shoulder another affectionate squeeze, and then leaves his drink in front of her before walking off onto the dance floor.

Nixie looks down at the drink, then up to the bartender. She raises an eyebrow in question, to which he shrugs and says, "It may take me a while to get to asking for your I.D. We're pretty crowded."

His side of the bar is virtually empty, except for her. Grinning, Nixie takes another sip of the alcoholic beverage and says, "Thanks." "No, thank you. I thought he was going to sit here and mope all night."

And he laughs again when Nixie says, "My very presence demands that moping cease within at least ten minutes. Fifteen on a bad day, but no more than that." "Is that so?" "Absolutely! It's a gift, I'm telling you."

She was just about to take another sip, when Scott and Stiles appeared on either side of her. Scott was glancing around, so Nixie pointed to where she'd just sent Danny so Scott could watch him with his werewolf eyes. Stiles pounded a fist on the bar after a moment and said, "Two beers."

And Nixie can't help grinning when the bartender immediately asks, "IDs?" Scott and Stiles pull them out, much to her amazement, and as the bartender looks them over with an amused expression of his own, Nixie says, "You two do realize he asked for those to see if you're over twenty-one or not, right? I mean… if you don't have a fake ID, why even bother?"

Stiles sticks his tongue out at her and then points and says, "You're same as us and you have alcohol." "Yes, but I made Danny happy. I'm also a hell of a lot cuter than you."

Stiles mouth drops open in offense, and the bartender just laughs and says, "Two cokes." Stiles looks over at him, and then huffs and says, "Fine. I'm driving anyway."

The bartender hands back the IDs, and then motions for someone to bring over the two drinks. He then looks back at Nixie and says, "And so long as you promise not to abuse it, you can have another one of those after you're finished with the first one. But only you." Nixie salutes him and says, "Got it chief."

The man who brings back the cokes for the boys says, "These are paid for." And then he glances back at the guy at the other end of the bar, who grins in Stiles direction while holding up a beer of his own.

Scott takes his drink while smirking at Stiles. Stiles just makes a face and says, "Oh shut up." Scott shrugs and says, "I didn't say anything." "Yeah, well, your face did." Nixie laughs, takes another sip of her drink as they turn around, and then asks, "Anyone see Danny?" Stiles points and says, "Got him."

Seeing that he's still dancing with the new boy, Nixie nods and says, "Good. And…" Scott cuts her off with a low voice and says, "I've found Jackson." She snaps her attention over to him, and then follows his eyes to where the creepy lizard creature, also known as Jackson, is scaling across the dark ceiling of this place.

And he's right over top of where Danny is. Wonderful. Just fantastic.

Scott takes a step forward, never taking his eyes off Jackson. Tilting his head towards them, he says, "Get Danny." Nixie nods, but then also agrees with Stiles question when he asks, "What are you gonna do?"

Scott just brings out his claws in response, to which Stiles says, "Works for me." But Nixie grips Scott's shoulder and says, "Be careful Scott. Jackson still isn't nearly as important to me as you are." "I know, and I will. Just get Danny."

Nixie and Stiles split off in two different directions, trying to fight their way through the crowd to get to him. But… well, the music picks up pace, and the fog blowers come on, and instead of thinning or even making room, the crowd just seems to thicken and pack in around them.

Stiles, for his part, gets turned around and honestly can't even tell which way he's supposed to be trying to go anymore.

Nixie, on the other hand, after being knocked into for about the fifteenth time, grabs one boy by the front of his shirt and says, "Next person that knocks into me is going to lose a tooth, and then maybe an eye." He nods, both slightly afraid and also confused since he hadn't exactly bumped into her yet. Then she turns him around and says, "Make a path for me… however you might go about doing that."

Getting to Danny after that is easy, with this boy whose name she discovers is Jason walking in front of her.

But she's too late. She'd heard it happening even before she got there. People suddenly dropping to the ground like rocks, seemingly without any rhyme or reason. Pushing Jason to go faster, she offers him a quick 'thanks' before darting in the direction of Danny.

And although she is too late to keep him from getting hit, she does manage to get beneath him and slow his descent to the ground. With his head in her lap, she watches as his eyes begin to dart around the room, his paralyzed body beginning to tremble in a panic. "Danny. Hey, Danny! Look at me, alright? Look up at me."

He looks up to meet her eyes as she bends her head over his face so he can see her. Smiling gently, though still worriedly, she says, "You're going to be fine Danny. Alright? I promise. Just don't try to move, okay? I know this probably feels awful, and I know it's scary. But you're going to be fine. Just stop trying to move, and you'll feel a little better until this wears off. Okay?"

He can't nod at her, but she can feel his body relax and the tension uncoil. His eyes relax again and he just continues to look up at her, watching her as her head moves from side to side and she glares at anyone that gets close to stepping on him.

Scott manages to make his way closer to her, and then he shouts, "No don't!"

Nixie turns to see, for a brief moment, glowing red eyes through the fog and smoke. She hears a slash of claws against someone's flesh and skin, and then the wounded cry of an animal in pain. Glancing back up at Scott, she says, "Go. I'm staying with Danny until we get some help. See if you can't find him. And if Derek killed him, let me know so I can kick his ass." Scott nods and says, "On it."

It doesn't take much longer for people to realize that something's wrong with some of the people on the dance floor. Nixie can't understand how it took them so long to be honest. Then again, she wasn't really one to be distracted by the music and lights and things. This whole place wasn't really her scene, so she supposes to the rest of them, it might be enough of a distraction.

That being said, they certainly weren't distracted anymore. People start screaming, some bending down to check on their friends and boyfriends, others standing there in shock, and others fleeing from the scene, either out of fear that they might be next, or because they know the cops will be here soon, and they know they're too young to actually be drinking.

Nixie, for her part, stays with Danny, her hands gently running over his hair to help keep him calm until the paramedics get here. And when they arrive, Danny can't help but grin when Nixie says, "His pulse is steady, he's paralyzed from the neck down, but he can breathe just fine and motor function is slowly returning. He couldn't even smile or talk five minutes ago, and now he can. You should probably start him on some fluids though, and maybe give him some morphine or something. I think I broke his fall pretty well, but he might still be having a headache from trying to move afterwards when he couldn't."

One of the E.M.T. guys stares at her with a raised eyebrow, but then looks down at Danny when he says, "Don't be offended. She's not trying to do your job for you. She's just trying to make sure you know everything so you can take good care of me. That's what she does."

And she doesn't take her eyes off of him as they load him up on a gurney and then start wheeling him outside. Once they're on the ground again, one of the guys says, "Um… you do know you can't ride with him, right? Family only." Nixie sighs and says, "I adore him like I would if he were family. Can't that ever count?" Danny chuckles and says, "I'll be fine Nix. You said so yourself. It's okay."

Scott appears beside her then, and he asks, "Hey. Danny… um… did anything weird happen to you today? Aside from being paralyzed from the neck down, I mean?"

Even Nixie gives him a look that seems to ask, 'What the fuck?', but Danny just says, "No, not that I can think of." The E.M.T. says, "Sorry guys, but we need to get him to the hospital." Scott nods and says, "Just one more question. Just one." Back to Danny, he asks, "Are you okay dude?"

Danny glances at Nixie and says, "Your girl's been taking care of me. I do have my own question though. Did it happen to my ex too?"

Scott and Nixie both look up and over to the rest of the people who got hit. And upon seeing Michael with an oxygen mask on, Nixie turns back to Danny and says, "Yeah." He grins again and says, "Then I'm great. Thanks Nix." "Take care Danny."

As soon as he's loaded in the ambulance, Nixie sighs and says, "Alright, fill me in. What the hell happened?" "Come with me."

At Stiles jeep, Nixie slides in the middle of the front between Scott and Stiles… because Jackson is in the back. Back in his true form, a blanket over him, Scott says, "After Derek slashed his throat, I found him out back in the parking lot. We didn't know what else to do?" Nixie nods and says, "Not much else to do really. We need to get him out of here, preferably before a cop shows up to question us about anything."

Stiles nods in complete agreement with that, but even as he cranks his jeep, his dad's police cruiser pulls up and comes to a stop right in front of them. Clearly a very unsubtle way of saying, 'Get the hell out here and explain yourself to me.'. Stiles throws up his hands and says, "Oh my God, could this get any worse?"

As Jackson mumbles in his unconscious state in the back, Stiles turns and says, "That was rhetorical!" Scott points to the car and says, "Get rid of him."

Stiles gives him a look that scream, 'Are you an idiot'. Then he says, "Get rid of him? We're at a crime scene and he's the sheriff!" "Well, do something!" Stiles flails spastically in frustration as he turns to his door and scrambles out of the jeep. But as Nixie climbs down with him, he smiles in relief when she says, "It could be worse by the way. I could not be here to soften the blow and help explain things to your dad."

Wrapping an arm around her, Stiles nods and says, "Yeah. Not gonna lie… that would suck right now."

Noah steps out and marches to meet them halfway. Arms crossed, he asks, "What are you doing here?" Stiles shrugs and asks, "What do you mean what am I doing here? It's a club. It's a club and we were clubbing, you know? At the club." Noah glances back at the place, and then back to them and says, "Not exactly your type of club. Either of you."

Stiles glances at it again too, knowing that his dad is referring to the fact that it's a gay club. Sighing, he then says, "Uh… well, dad, there's a conversation that…"

Noah can't help but grin when he and Nixie say at the same time, "You're not gay."

Looking at them both in offense, Stiles says, "I could be." Noah shakes his head and says, "Not dressed like that." Stiles looks down at himself, and then to Nixie when she adds, "Also, that theory would kind of clash with your whole 'dedicated to Lydia for life' thing. So yeah, you're not gay."

As Noah begins to walk past them, maybe to talk to Scott, Stiles stops him and says, "Dad, just…" "Stiles, this is the second crime scene that you just happened to have shown up on. And at this point, I've been fed so many lies, I'm not sure I know the kid standing in front of me. Either of you."

Nixie gives Noah a look, and then puts a hand to Stiles back and rubs up and down comfortingly. She could feel the tension rising in him just from standing next to him. And sensing that he didn't want to be the one that had to lie to his dad again tonight, Nixie took over.

First, she says, "Noah, I know it's a stressful time right now, and I'm sorry about that. And yeah, I know you're the Sheriff, so you have to look at this and be a little suspicious, even if it is your own kid. But, hear me right now, and know that I mean no disrespect." Noah looks at her hard for a moment, but then nods and softens his gaze when Nixie says, "Your tone… drop it down a notch or two on the accusatory scale. We didn't have anything to do with… well, whatever it is that happened to all of them in there."

Then she gestures back towards the ambulances and says, "And as for why we were even here in the first place? We were here with Danny." Noah tilts his head at her curiously, but Stiles picks up on her train of thought and decides to help her out. Nodding, he says, "Yeah dad. He just broke up with his boyfriend a little while back, so… you know, we were just trying to take him out and get his mind off things. That's it."

Noah looks back and forth between the two of them, and then nods gently and says, "Well, that's really good of you guys. You're good friends." Stiles smiles and pats his dad's shoulder. And Noah was about to turn around and leave them be, but then he turns back and asks, "Nixie?" She looks at him, and he says, "Two things. Firstly… you were alright with being here?" Nixie nods, and then shrugs and says, "Danny's a friend. He's not exactly one of my 'boys'. But he's a friend. And Danny likes me and I knew that if these two couldn't get him to let loose and have a little fun tonight, I would be able to. So… yeah."

Noah then grins when Nixie concedes, "I admit, it's not exactly my scene. But I got to watch Danny smile and get back out there for a little while before everything went to shit. So… I'll take it." Noah nods, and then steps up closer to her and says, "Secondly… do I see a gun resting beneath the back of your shirt?"

Nixie, for her part, had honestly completely forgotten that it was even there. Glancing up at Noah warily, Nixie says, "Yeah." "Why?" "First of all, believe me, I forgot I even had the damn thing. Secondly… Alison's dad was teaching me how to shoot better. You know, just because he was already teaching Alison and so he decided to teach me too. I was carrying this one back with me and just… I swear, I honestly forgot I had it. I'll take it back to him straight away."

Noah nods after a moment, and then says, "Don't let it happen again Nixie. You don't have a permit and you shouldn't have even made it into the club with that thing anyway." "I won't Noah, I promise." "Good. Now get out of here."

Back in the jeep, Nixie sighs and as Stiles takes off down the road, she asks, "So… plan?"

Scott sighs and says, "I have no idea. I mean… where could we even begin to take him that's safe?" Stiles suggests, "Your house?" But Scott shakes his head and says, "Not with my mom there!" Stiles sighs, but then suggests, "Nixie? Your apartment?" Nixie ponders that, glancing back at the sleeping Jackson in the backseat. Then she sighs and says, "I wouldn't exactly call it a safe place. Isaac and Derek both know where my place is. And given how vacant it's been lately, they might decide that would be the first place we'd think to keep him. So I'm gonna say no to that."

Scott runs a hand through his hair and says, "We just… we need to keep him somewhere, where we can hold him long enough to figure out what to do with him." Nixie sighs and says, "I hate how that sounds. Like we're kidnappers trying to figure out how to best dispose of the body we kidnapped." Scott nods, and then suggests, "Or until we convince him he's dangerous?"

Nixie sighs and says, "Jackson probably won't be too keen on listening to us." Stiles nods, but says, "He might listen to you though. You know… with the whole, you are Lydia's best friend thing. I mean… you two are enemies if I ever saw two people that were enemies… but at least he knows that you would never actually do anything to him to permanently hurt him."

But Nixie says, "He and Lydia aren't exactly good anymore. I don't know if I have any pull over him anymore, as far as just making him listen goes. I can scare the shit out of him, sure. But making him listen… I don't know if I can pull that off. I'm talented, true. I'm not a miracle worker." Stiles smirks and says, "Could've fooled me." "Oh, shut up."

Silence for a moment, and then Stiles says, "Of course, and I still think this is an okay plan. We could still just kill him."

Nixie smacks him in the back of the head while Scott says, "We are not killing him!" "Ow! Geez! Fine, okay. Then… what?"

Nixie is wracking her brain along with them, trying to come up with anything that they could maybe do to keep Jackson hidden, safe, and locked up in until they can figure out how to best handle the situation. That's when Stiles suddenly says, "I got an idea."

Scott looks over at him and asks, "Does it involve breaking the law?" Nixie raises an eyebrow at him and says, "I think that's pretty much a given at this point. Don't you?" He looks at her and says, "I was just trying to be optimistic." "Yeah, well, leave that to me. I'm better at it than you are."

Scott sighs, and then asks, "So what can I be optimistic about right now, oh brilliant one?" Nixie looks at him in surprise, and though she grins, she says, "First of all, the sarcasm on your end is not appreciated. That's me and Stiles job." Scott just grins back, and then Nixie says, "And as for optimism… currently, I don't have a clue. But you two need to work on Stiles plan after you drop me off at Lydia's. I promised I'd go there, and I meant it. Keep me posted though."

Both boys nod, and then drop her off at Lydia's. Sighing as she walks up the porch, she blinks in surprise when the door opens and Lydia is already standing there. Lydia just pulls her inside, and then asks, "Can I do your hair again?"

Nixie nods and as they head up to Lydia's room, Nixie asks, "You alright?" "I'm better. I'm not completely, one-hundred percent better. But I'm better than I was earlier." Nixie nods and says, "Progress. I like it."

After Lydia shuts the door, she says, "I… would be even better than this… if someone would tell me what's going on."

She watches as Nixie runs a hand through her hair. Sighing, Nixie turns to look at her, and then says, "I… It's complicated. Very complicated. And I… at this point Lydia… I wouldn't even know where to start." Lydia nods after a moment, and then asks, "Just… can you promise me that you will tell me? Eventually?"

Nixie nods immediately to that, and Lydia smiles in relief before asking, "Why not now, if you don't mind me asking?" "I don't mind. You can ask all the questions you want Lydia. But when it comes down to it… I just don't have a lot of answers. None that would make sense right now, anyway. It's just about as confusing to me as it is to you. Well, not exactly… but it's all very damn confusing."

Lydia nods again, and then tosses Nixie a robe and says, "Go ahead and shower. You look exhausted by the way." "Yeah, well… it's been a long night."

And as she lets the hot water from the shower run over her hair, she mutters to herself, "And tomorrow isn't looking like it'll get any easier either."

* * *

Alison was trembling in front of her mother as Victoria said, "Remember, so long as you're strong, we won't have to kill a sixteen-year-old boy."

But Alison relaxed and even managed a smirk when Victoria jumped as Nixie said from directly beside her, "It would be a shame for you to have to do that to Scott. Because I love Alison to death."

Victoria meets Nixie's eyes, and as Nixie narrows them at her fiercely, the woman actually feels a rare chill crawl up her spine as the young woman finishes, "But if you kill my boy, I will return the favor on you. Make no mistake… Mrs. Argent."

Nixie had never really addressed the woman formally before, with either her first or last name. So it wasn't until now, in this moment, that she understood where exactly she rested in Nixie's eyes. Chris had told her what the use of the last name meant coming from Nixie. It might not exactly mean she hated you, or even didn't like you.

But it did mean that Nixie, at the very least, didn't consider you to be hers. It meant you were out of the loop, and that you would stay there until she felt you weren't a danger to her people, and that you were also turning out to be a decent individual.

Nixie didn't wait for a reply on Victoria's part. She wrapped an arm around Alison and says, "Let's go. We have a lot of studying to do, and I'm still aiming for an A in history class. Granted, this is my least favorite subject, but I like to aim high."

Once they're out of earshot, Alison whispers, "Did you see the cameras?" "Yeah, I saw them. Your grandpa do that?" "Yeah. And that's not all." Alison quickly explains how he questioned her about Jackson. How Gerard went as far as to feel for the pulse in her neck to try and tell if she was lying or not.

Nixie gives her hand a squeeze and says, "It'll be alright in the end Alison. If need be, I'll take him out myself. Problem solved." Alison smiles gently at her, and then asks, "So… where are we going now?" "We're going to meet Stiles for the moment. He wants me to talk to Jackson. Says he's not getting anywhere with him and wants me to try… well, something. Honestly though, I don't know what any of you think I'm going to do. I'd just as soon punch him in the face for talking as I would try to explain gently to him that he's a homicidal lizard at night that kills people for no apparent reason."

Alison nods, and then says, "The police know too by the way." "Know what? "They know that Jackson's missing?"

"Son of a bitch."

* * *

"What?" Alison nods to Stiles question and says, "They know Jackson's missing." "No, they can't. I've been texting his parents since last night. They don't have a clue." Nixie snatches the phone to glance over the messages while Alison says, "My grandfather told me his parents went to the police. They know!"

Stiles stares at her for a moment, and then grabs the phone back from Nixie. Of course, then he holds it by the tip and holds it out as though it were some infected object that was going to give him a disease or something. Gasping and hissing at it while spazzing and freaking out, Nixie raises an eyebrow at him when he hands it back to her and says, "Chuck that."

But Nixie holds onto it for a moment and waits to listen as Stiles grabs the CB radio and turns it up. "All units, proceed with caution to Beacon Hills Preserve. All units, please proceed with caution."

Stiles and Alison look at each other, and then at Nixie when she hands the phone back to Stiles. Running a hand through her hair, she asks, "Are we still going to try and keep him locked up for now?" Stiles nods and says, "We have to if we're not killing him." "We're not killing him!" "Then yeah, we're keeping him locked up!" "Then make a call on that damn thing and toss it on the ground and get us the hell out of here."

As she moves to the back, Stiles asks, "Where are you going?" "Someone has to ride with Jackson's worthless ass to make sure he doesn't get hurt while you drive like a maniac. Get moving."

Jackson jerks his head up as Nixie opens the back door and hops inside. Moving to sit next to him, she says, "For this one moment, pretend we're friends. Hold onto me, or you might break something."

He thinks about arguing. He honestly does. But then he remembers that night earlier in the year. He remembers being locked in the school, and Nixie telling Lydia to run. And Lydia obeyed without question. Even though they had been on the outs, Lydia had never doubted for a second that she should do exactly what Nixie had told her to do.

So he holds onto her as well as he can while still being cuffed in the back of the prison transport vehicle. He hits his head once as they swerve around a curve, and after that Nixie's hand is at the back of his head, assuring it doesn't happen again.

When they finally come to a stop, Jackson lets her go easily enough, but still demands, "Let me out."

Nixie moves to the other side of the van, and runs a hand through her hair before saying, "Jackson… we can't. Not yet." "Nixie… I swear to God." "It's not just because you're the kanima either. And yes, I know Stiles has tried to explain all of that to you. And you should really listen to him."

Sighing, Nixie says, "But it's not just that." "Then what? What the hell else could be…" "It's Derek and Alison's grandpa too." Jackson gives her a confused look, so she says, "They want to kill you Jackson. At least, I know Derek does. And Derek… he's not gonna stop. Not until he knows your dead. And right now, here with us… you're protected and hidden from him. But the minute you get out… you're fair game again."

Leaning closer to him, Nixie says, "Just… just please try to understand. We're doing the best we can here. And yeah, I admit, this is probably not the greatest plan in the world. In fact, it can probably be considered dumb as shit. But… it's the best we've got right now."

She stands up with that, to leave him alone to think. Nixie turns back in the doorway though and says, "We are trying to protect you Jackson. Just… if you don't get anything else out of this whole experience… please believe that."

She shuts the door gently behind her, and then moves down to the cliff edge where Scott, Alison, and Stiles are standing. Stiles turns to look at her and asks, "Any luck?" "I don't know. I may have gotten him to calm down for now, but I don't know how long that'll last. Jackson isn't known for his patience."

Glancing at the other two, Nixie then says, "Alright. Fill me in. What do we know?"

After they give her all the details, including Danny's tablet being gone, Nixie frowns and asks, "Okay, but why? I mean, Jackson keeps saying nothing happened right? Like… he believes that for the most part. So why, as the kanima, would he steal the damn thing if he doesn't even really know what's on it? It doesn't make any sense."

Stiles points to her and says, "Thank you! That's what I said." Alison then suggests, "What if someone else took it?" Stiles looks over at her and says, "Then somebody else knows what he is. I mean… who?" But Nixie holds up a hand to cut him off and says, "No wait. That… that might be on the right track." To Nixie, Stiles asks, "How? I mean… who…"

Nixie shushes him again and says, "The kanima seeks a friend. That's what the book says right?" Alison nods, and Nixie continues, "What if… I mean… what if the kanima has to have a friend. Like… like what if the kanima… what if it somehow knows who it can go to… who will actually be it's friend and companion? What if it can sense and seek out that particular kind of person… one who will be a friend and direct him?"

Scott nods and says, "Which means someone could be protecting him." Stiles holds up his hands and says, "Okay, hold on. So… we're suggesting that somebody watches Jackson make a video of himself turning into the kanima, and then just erases part of it so he wouldn't even know he's a kanima? I mean… who would do that? Why, for that matter? Why keep him in the dark?"

Nixie shrugs and says, "I don't know about the dark part. But… well, I don't know about you guys, but if I was expecting to turn into a werewolf, and instead I turned into a lizard thing… I might freak out just a little bit." Alison nods and says, "So… it could've been someone trying to protect him. To keep him from the knowledge and to keep him safe. At least mentally."

Nixie nods, and then turns to Scott when he says, "There's something else. Stiles, you said the only thing you found online about the kanima is that it goes after murderers, right? What if that's actually true?" Stiles shakes his head and says, "No, it can't be. Remember, it tried to kill all of us at one point?"

But Scott points at Nixie and says, "No, I don't think so. And remember, Nixie doesn't either. I don't think it was actually ever trying to kill us. When Alison and I were at Isaac's the first time we saw it… it just went right by us. And like Nixie said before, it didn't kill you in the mechanic's garage." Stiles nods and concedes to that, but then says, "Yeah, but then at the pool. It tried to kill Derek, me, and Nixie. I mean… come on Nixie, it slammed your head down on the concrete and nearly drowned you. How…"

Nixie shakes her head though, and then says, "Don't be offended Stiles, but I think it was just trying to take me out of the equation because I was the stronger one at the time." "What do you mean?" Nixie runs a hand over her hair and says, "I mean… Derek was paralyzed. He was only still floating because of the two of us. And between the two of us, I was the one that was the most hell bent on keeping him alive and getting him back on dry land. That was my goal."

Scott nods to her and says, "So what if it was just trying to keep you in the whole time? And the reason it took out Nixie was because it knew she was about to actually get all of you out."

Stiles stares at all of them for a moment, and then asks, "Why do I feel so violated right now?" Nixie moves to his side and wraps an arm around him as Scott says, "Because there's something else going on, and we don't know what it is. We don't know anything about what's going on with Jackson or why someone's trying so hard to protect him."

"Know thy enemy." They all look to Alison, who then explains, "Just something my grandfather said." Nixie sighs and says, "I don't like that man." Scott grins slightly in her direction, and then nods at her pointed stare. They still needed to talk about what exactly Gerard wanted from Scott in the first place.

But for now… Jackson. Focus on Jackson. And Stiles most certainly is as he says, "Alright, I've got it. Kill Jackson. Problem solved."

From inside the transport vehicle, Jackson is actually afraid for all of a second. Then he also hears the sound of a slap from outside, followed by Stiles shouting, "Ow! Nixie! What the hell?!" "We are not killing Jackson. For the hundredth, millionth time. Now shut up about that." "But…"

Scott turns to Stiles and says, "He risked his life for us against Peter. Do you remember that?" But Stiles counters with, "Yes, but what did we just find out? He got the bite from Derek. It's funny, actually! How he just got exactly what he wanted by supposedly risking his life for us. Really funny!"

Nixie sighs, and then when Scott looks to her to see if she agrees, she says, "I mean… yeah. Jackson… he's an ass, alright. He doesn't do much of anything… ever really… without him thinking that he'll get something for himself out of it in the end. He's selfish, there's no arguing that point."

But then she turns back to Stiles and says, "That doesn't mean that he's not worth saving. And I dislike him more than any of the rest of you. So if I can say that, then that means we try to save him. End of discussion."

Of course, Stiles doesn't let it end there. He gestures to the van and says, "It's always something with him though. You said it yourself Nixie!" Scott steps up beside her and says, "He doesn't know what he's doing."

And Nixie knows why that means more than anything to Scott. And as Stiles asks in exasperation, "So what?!," she counters with, "So Scott didn't either Stiles!"

He pauses at that finally, gritting his teeth. And Jackson from inside the van, listens intently as Nixie says, "When Scott was new, he tried to kill all of us at one point. He tried to kill you, me, Jackson, and even Alison. And we didn't write him off and decide to kill him, did we?" Stiles looks at her and says, "No, of course not! But Scott is our best friend, love of Alison's life. Jackson is… he's an ass. You said it yourself!" "And he is! But he's an ass that did help us defeat Peter in the end! He's an ass that, beneath all of the other bullshit, still has rare moments of decency! And, even if for no other reason, he's an ass that is still important to Lydia!"

When Stiles tilts his head at that, almost looking like a kicked puppy, Nixie sighs and gentles her tone before saying, "Not in that way Stiles. Jackson… she doesn't love him like that anymore. She told me so, last night while we were talking. But Jackson is still, and always will be, a big part of her life. He's important to her now… the same way that you and Scott and Alison and Lydia all are to me."

Looking at all three of them now, she says, "Look, I've threatened to kill him before. And I've meant it. I'm not above it and I will. But for the right reasons. So if he actually hurts one of you beyond repair, then yes, I will kill him myself. But until he has actually done that to one of you… until he's actually stupid enough to try that… we are not trying to kill him. We are trying to save him."

Giving Stiles a pointed look, she says, "End of discussion." He sighs after a moment and says, "Fine. God, why do you have to sound so right?" "Because I am right. At least, right now I am. And annoying as it may be, you know it." "Yeah, yeah. So now what do we do?"

Alison pulls out her tablet and says, "I actually have some rawhide episodes pulled up on YouTube."

And all three grin when Nixie says, "Clint Eastwood?! Who has popcorn?!"

* * *

As Stiles heads them back down the road from Lydia's house later, he looks over at Nixie and says, "Thanks for coming by the way. I wasn't sure she'd actually talk to me if you didn't." Nixie smiles over at him and says, "It's not like you actually ditched her Stiles. You left her with me, and then I sent her home. She would've talked to you." "Yeah… maybe."

Frowning, Nixie sits up in the seat and asks, "What? You don't think she would? Even now?" Stiles looks over at her again, and then sighs and says, "Don't take this the wrong way Nixie. I love you and you're great and I don't know what I'd do if you weren't a part of my life." "Yeah, well, that goes both ways."

He smiles at that, but then sighs again and says, "It's just… when it comes to Lydia. I mean… I got you to become her friend so I could… you know… kind of have an in with her. And that worked out beautifully!" Nixie nods and says, "Almost like we actually planned the whole thing." Stiles chuckles again, and then says, "But now… I guess I was just… hoping that at some point I'd feel like… like I wasn't just her friend through association. You know? Like… I still feel like, right now at least, that we're really only friends at all, because she's friends with you."

Nixie ponders that for a moment, and then says, "Maybe I shouldn't have come tonight." "No, no I asked you to." "That's my point though." He glances over at her in confusion, so Nixie sighs and says, "Stiles… Lydia doesn't see you as boyfriend material yet. Okay? That… well, it's going to take more time. And she's going to actually have to stop worrying about the rest of the world figuring out she's a genius. All of that has to happen before we can even consider working on making you boyfriend material in her eyes. Alright?"

Stiles nods at that, and then Nixie says, "But… she does see you as a friend. And part of that is because of me, I'm not gonna lie. But not just because you're my friend anymore alright. It's because of you." Confused again, Stiles asks, "What do you mean?" "I mean… she sees you as sweet, because you always make me coffee and know exactly how to make it. She sees you as smart because when we're having a conversation, be it completely sarcastic or otherwise, you and I can almost always keep up with each other. She sees you as special and worth knowing, because you and Scott, for the longest time, were two of the only people I ever even cared about having around me and hanging out with. You're my boy, and she knows how precious that makes you to me."

Grinning, Nixie adds, "It's not lost on her how amazing you have to be in order to be mine. I mean, I have some incredibly high standards you know." Stiles grins and says, "Yeah, tell me about it." "Hey!"

Chuckling, Stiles lets out a deep breath, and then says, "Thanks Nix." "For what?" "I don't know. You just… you always know what to say." "Yeah, well, so do you. I don't think I'd be half as damn cheery as I usually am if it weren't for you and Scott knowing how to make me laugh when I need it."

Reaching over and squeezing her shoulder, Stiles says, "My only other superpower. Keeping you happy."

Nixie laughs at that, but then it's cut off when they roll up into the woods and see that the back of the transport van has been opened wide. And sure enough… Jackson is no longer inside.

Sighing, Nixie says, "Son of a bitch." And Stiles agrees, "Yeah, I'm with you there."

* * *

Alison glances over as Nixie checks her phone for what she guesses to be the fiftieth time since she started driving them out of the woods.

Scott's plan at this point was to talk to Noah and get him to believe all of this… somehow. Nixie wasn't completely only board with Scott wolfing out in front of the man to make the point, but they were running low on options. And Nixie also wasn't totally on board with Alison needing to tell her father about Jackson and everything else. But again… low on options.

Nixie had told Scott and Stiles to call her the minute they were finished talking to Noah. So far, nothing. She'd even texted Stiles for an update, but he hadn't responded yet.

Pulling into the drive at her house and cutting the car off, Alison says gently, "I'm sure it's just taking a while. You know… It's a lot to process." "Yeah… yeah, you're probably right."

Nixie's voice didn't actually sound like she was convinced, but Alison would take it for now. Walking inside and climbing the stairs to her room, Alison says, "I'll tell my parents in the morning. No sense in waking them up right now." "Right."

Again, Nixie's voice didn't sound very sure or convinced of anything at this point. They were grasping at straws, and they all knew it.

Nixie hates grasping. She'd rather have something… anything more concrete to hold onto or look at or deal with. All they know right now… is that Jackson has vanished, someone is his friend, and Derek is out to kill him while they try and work out a way to save him. And again, that's nearly impossible to do while they still know absolutely nothing about this damn thing.

As they walk into the dark room and Nixie drops her bag and leans against the closed bedroom door, she sighs and seriously considers just sliding down to the floor and falling asleep right there.

She straightens up and marches further in though, instantly more alert, when she hears Alison gasp after turning the light on. But upon looking into the room to see what new threat had arrived… Nixie only saw Lydia sitting on the edge of the bed.

Sighing and then smiling wearily, Nixie says, "Hey." Lydia smiles back at her, though as Nixie turns away again, she tilts her head worriedly. The dark circles were returning under Nixie's eyes. Which… well, that wasn't the strangest thing in the world. Nixie made a fact of pointing out at times how proud she was that she could function on just three and half hours of sleep and a cup of coffee when necessary.

But Nixie also looked sluggish, as though she were two seconds away from just collapsing where she stood and falling asleep where she landed in the floor. Not good. Not good at all.

Alison turns to Lydia and says, "You scared the hell out of me!" Turning to look at Alison, Lydia simply says, "I've been sitting here for an hour waiting for you guys." Tilting her head, Alison asks, "Both of us? How did you know that Nixie would be here?" "I didn't. I just… hoped."

At Alison's confused expression, Lydia says, "Well, she's been alternating between all of our houses for weeks now. I figured if she wasn't here tonight, I could just go to Scott or Stiles' house later and find her. And if not… that would mean she was at my house waiting to see me."

Alison blinks at that, surprised before turning to glance at Nixie. Between all four of them, it had been relatively easy to not make it so obvious that Nixie hadn't been home in weeks. She had clothes stored in all of their houses, and so long as she kept switching it up often, no one thought any more of it.

Except for Lydia apparently. Of course, between the four of them, Lydia was the genius. If one of them was going to put it together, it would be her.

Nixie shrugs at Alison's look, and then simply says, "Shit is going down, and I live too far away. Sue me. When my motorcycle functions, I'll go back home and not worry about how fast I need to be able to get back here. Until then… get used to it."

Alison rubs a hand across her forehead, and then sighs and turns back to Lydia before saying, "Look, I'm sorry, but we really can't just hang out right now Lydia." To which Lydia rolls her eyes and says, "I don't need anyone to hang out with." At Nixie's curious gaze, Lydia says softly, "I need someone to talk to."

Nixie holds up her phone in question, obviously asking why Lydia hadn't just called her yet. Lydia shrugs in response and says, "You… you're tired. And it's not really something I want to do over a phone conversation." Nixie rolls her eyes now and says, "The phone is what you use to call me and tell me to come over so we can talk. And as for me being tired… that's not exactly new. But I'm never too tired to listen to you. I might need a few minutes to get to you… but other than that, I'm all ears once I get here."

And Lydia and Alison both grin when Nixie crosses her arms and says, "I'm offended. Highly offended, just so you know. What good is it for you to have my number if you aren't going to use it when you're supposed to? I mean really, the rules are in place for a reason people." Lydia nods gently to that, and is about to talk… but then Alison cuts her off and says, "Just… not right now. I understand that it's important Lydia, but if it can just wait… that'd be great."

Nixie raises an eyebrow at Alison and says, "Did I not just make a very sound point of being right here and willing to talk to her right now?" Alison gives Nixie a look, and then says, "You can't always have everything right now. Not even Lydia. And not even to talk to you."

Nixie stands up from the wall she'd been leaning against at that and says, "Lydia can talk to me about anything, whenever she wants." "We have a lot on our plate right now!" "None of which is more important to me than the people I care about. The rest of the shit on the plate can wait to be eaten later."

Alison huffs, and then turns to Lydia, who is sitting there waiting to see which one of them is going to win this argument. She'd stake her life on the fact that it would be Nixie, but she still wanted to wait and see.

Finally, Alison just says, "Look… I know you need to talk. I get it. But we really do have a lot to deal with right now." Back to Nixie, Alison states, "Like five pages of archaic Latin that needs to be translated. Which obviously isn't going to happen any time soon, and that's what we need right now. So…"

"I know archaic Latin."

Lydia watches as Nixie's frame freezes in surprise before both girls turn to look at her. And because Nixie seems too stunned to ask and check, Alison asks, "You know archaic Latin?" To which Lydia simply replies, "I got bored with classical Latin."

A stunned and shocked little laugh escapes Nixie's lips while Alison grins and asks, "Just how smart are you?" And Nixie laughs harder at that while running a hand over her hair. Shaking her head at herself, Nixie says, "She's the smartest person on the planet. I say that on a regular basis. Seriously, why wouldn't she know archaic Latin? Better yet, why didn't we think to ask?"

Lydia smiles and holds her hands out for the pages to be handed to her. Alison starts booting up her computer instead, where she saved the beastiary. So instead of pages, Lydia gets Nixie, who walks up to her and wraps her up in a tight hug. Sighing, Nixie says, "I could kiss you. I really could. In fact, I still might."

Rubbing a hand up and down Nixie's back, Lydia says, "No, you won't. But you will lay down and go to sleep." "After you translate. I promise." "No. You will go to sleep now. Alison can wake you up when I'm finished."

Nixie finds she isn't allowed to argue with this. Lydia puts her in the bed, removes her shoes, and then wraps her up in the covers before Nixie can utter a coherent protest. At which point it doesn't matter. Nixie's eyes slip shut heavily and she doesn't wake up until thirty minutes later, when Alison shakes her gently and whispers, "We have a problem."

Sighing, Nixie says, "Of course we do. What is it?" Alison glances at the door, where Lydia just left to go and use the bathroom in the hall. Seeing that she's not coming back yet, Alison says, "Lydia translated it. And it doesn't say the kanima seeks a friend. It says it seeks a master."

Nixie takes a moment to process that, and then curses under her breath before saying, "Which means no one is trying to protect him." Alison nods and reaffirms, "Someone is controlling him."

"Hey!" Alison and Nixie both turn to Lydia in the doorway, and she says, "I told you to let her sleep." Alison shrugs and says, "Sorry. She would've wanted to know sooner rather than later." Lydia rolls her eyes and says, "She always does."

Lydia comes in the rest of the way, and then pulls Nixie up and says, "Well, since you're up, come on. Change into pajamas and then we'll all turn in. Can I stay too Alison?" "Sure. You can do our hair in the morning."

And both girls laugh when Nixie says, "Well, I better hurry up and go back to sleep then. I need at least four good hours before I can deal with anyone else messing with my hair. Even you Lydia, no offense intended."

* * *

Boom! Chapter 6! I'm on a roll guys. With any luck, I'll get Chapter 7 posted tonight as well. (Again, I do not promise this. I just cross my fingers and hope for the best.)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

Okay, quick interruption. I'm not sure if the rest of you guys think I need any other warning in any other chapters so far, but in this one, I just want to clarify that I'm not an expert on school rules or expectations. Meaning, when it comes to the teachers and the expectation of them as far as leaving students alone at school at all (you'll see what I mean), I don't actually know what the rules are in that respect. I would imagine that they wouldn't be allowed to just leave any student there on their own, at least not without another teacher there to watch them afterwards... but anyways. So... that's the warning. Probably not needed, but now you have it, regardless.

Alright. Sorry for the interruption. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7: Episode 2x7

After Alison got Lydia to go and take a shower before turning in for the night, Nixie pulls out her phone and put it on speaker while dialing Stiles' cell phone. And if he didn't answer this time… well, she was going to have to hurt somebody.

But he did answer, and said, "Hey. I know, and I'm sorry. But… well, things got a bit more complicated when we got here. Jackson… well, he's fine… I guess. He's here with his dad, who is an 'Esquire' by the way. Which means lawyer. Which means we're probably screwed. My dad's trying to work out something with him… but he's pissed too, so even if we aren't slapped with community service for the next ten years, dad's probably going to have a meltdown and lock me in my room for the same amount of time."

There's silence for a moment after he says all that, and then Nixie asks, "Do you want my sarcastic response, or a more morally supporting response?" Stiles smiles gently down at the phone before him, and then asks, "Can I hear both?" "Well, morally supporting me is thinking that it'll be okay Stiles. Your dad will get over it with time. Jackson is an ass on his best of days, and I'm sure your dad will eventually chalk this up to being a prank on that basis. And none of us knew his dad was a lawyer, so that's just unfortunate. But in the end, after a while, it'll be okay. I promise."

Stiles nods, and then chuckles when Nixie says, "Sarcastic me is thinking that, if he does lock you in your room, I'll sneak in some food for you through the window from time to time. We'll set up a basket outside your window attached to a rope that I can send up and let back down. It'll be great." "Thanks Nix." "Of course. That's what I'm here for."

Nixie then sighs, and asks, "So… who all is in trouble?" "Right now, from what I can tell, just me and Scott. Jackson doesn't appear to be dragging Alison or you into it, which I guess we can consider a kindness on his part. But anyway… what have you guys been up to? Any new developments?"

Nixie nods and says, "Yeah. Lydia was here when we got here. And, because she's that awesome, Lydia happens to know archaic Latin. Because she got bored with classical Latin. Her words, not mine." A pause, and then Stiles says, "I really know how to pick em, don't I?" Nixie laughs and says, "Yeah. You did good. Anyways, she translated the pages we needed. And turns out, the kanima doesn't seek a friend." "So… what does it seek?"

Alison sighs and sits next to Nixie on the bed and says, "It seeks a master."

A long silence stretches out for a while, and then Scott's voice comes over the phone as he says, "Shit." Nixie nods and says, "I agree. And… Alison, you go ahead and tell them your theory." Alison nods and says, "It's just… well, we don't think Jackson is going to be much help in finding this person. If Jackson doesn't know what he's doing, then he probably doesn't know that someone's controlling him."

Scott's voice says, "Or he doesn't remember." Nixie nods and says, "Exactly. Just like he can't remember actually being the kanima at all."

Then Stiles voice says, "What if it's the same kind of thing that happened with Lydia when she took off from the hospital?" Alison looks up at Nixie and says, "A fugue state. You and Nixie are on the same page Stiles." "We usually are."

Nixie smiles at that, and then asks, "What do you think Scott? Make sense?" "I think it does. He'd have to forget everything. The murder… getting rid of the blood." Nixie nods and says, "And if it's a fugue state, he wouldn't really need help with any of that." Stiles nods on his end, and then says, "But he did have help with one thing though. The video." Scott nods and says, "Maybe someone helped him forget about that too. Whoever's controlling him."

Sighing, Nixie looks to Alison when she asks, "Are you two sure Jackson has no clue about any of this?" Stiles nods and says, "He thinks he's still becoming a werewolf and that being with Lydia somehow delayed the whole thing." Nixie rubs at her temple and says, "Well, it's not that far of a stretch… maybe. For him at least. But… and I guess I could be wrong, but I don't think Lydia's immune. Not exactly, anyway."

Silence for a moment, and even Alison is looking at her curiously. Nixie just shrugs and says, "Look, she might not be turning into a werewolf… but something is going on with her. And it's because she was bitten. So I don't think immune is the right word. I think, for whatever reason, she's just having some kind of different reaction to it. There is something in her… something that makes her different and that makes her body react to the bite in a different fashion. I just… I don't think it's her body somehow miraculously fighting off the bite."

Alison nods, and then says, "Peter was very certain when he said that if the bite didn't turn you, it would kill you." And on the other end, Stiles says, "And when he was talking to me that night before you showed up Nixie, he basically said he'd expect her to turn into a wolf. He wasn't planning on her being anything else. So if she hadn't turned, he probably would've expected her to die."

Nixie nods again, and then sighs and says, "Which just brings up the question again of what she might be, or what it is that's inside of her that… that creates that different reaction."

Silence reigns again, and then Nixie says, "We'll have to deal with that question later though. What do we do about Jackson?" Alison nods and asks, "Yeah. Do we try and convince him that he's not turning into a wolf?" Scott answers, "If it helps us find out who's controlling him, then yeah." To which Alison asks, "Do you think he'll talk to us after what we did?"

Stiles answers sarcastically, "Yeah, it's us. He'll talk to us. Right?" No one responds for a moment, but then Scott says, "I know you don't like him Nixie… but he might listen to you. Maybe. It… we've been here a while and not once has he brought up you or Alison. But… well, Stiles almost did. He almost mentioned that Nixie had been with us through all of this. And Jackson…"

Nixie raises an eyebrow and asks, "What? He defended me?" Stiles sighs and says, "Not exactly. He just knew what I was about to say and shut me up before I could actually say it. Bottom line though… he apparently doesn't want to get you in trouble along with us for what we did to him. For whatever reason that is. In any case… we think he might still be willing to listen to you. Maybe."

Sighing, Nixie says, "I heard maybe a whole lot in there. Not so sure I like that." Stiles nods and says, "Me either." Then she and Alison hear a scrambling sound before Stiles says, "We gotta go. My dad's coming back. Talk later." "Bye Stiles."

Alison smiles gently as Nixie runs a hand over her hair. What little sleep she'd gotten had done her good… but she was still tired.

And as far as Lydia knew, Nixie was already going back to sleep. And Alison wasn't in the mood to be berated again for having woken Nixie up when she should be sleeping. So she sets the phone by the bed and says, "Lay back down Nix. There's nothing more we can do tonight." "I could go to the station. The boys…" "Nixie… you can't help them right now. Your powers of intimidation are world-renowned, but… sometimes some of us are just going to have to take a hit every now and again. And from the sound of it, it's not going to be as bad as it necessarily could've been."

Tucking Nixie in, Alison says, "Besides, if you go down there now, everyone will wonder how you knew what was going on in the first place. And I think you might actually be too tired to come up with a logical excuse."

But even as Nixie closes her eyes, Alison laughs when she says, "I'll have you know that I can B.S. my way out of anything, even in my sleep. Stiles has trained me well."

* * *

Nixie is already in the library the next day, her hair pulled back still, but in a rather intricate and prettily done braid. Lydia liked braiding Nixie's hair when Nixie allowed it. And since it was still pulling it back and keeping it mostly out of the way, Nixie didn't really have a problem with it either. It was a style they could both agree on.

That being said, it was still rare to see. So when Scott and Stiles joined her in the aisle she was standing in, Stiles raises an eyebrow and asks, "Okay, what…" "Don't ask Stiles. This is what happens when you get Lydia to translate five pages of Latin for you without really offering a very good explanation."

Alison appears on the other side of the shelf, and after sliding her tablet across to Scott for him to read, Scott asks, "Yeah, what did you guys tell her?" Alison grins and says, "That we were part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures."

And Nixie grins when Stiles says back, "I am part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures." All Alison says is, "Oh. Great." Stiles gives her a look, but then smiles when Nixie says, "It is great. It means we didn't completely lie to her. Sure, we're still lying a little… but at least now if she asks questions about the game, we can direct her to Stiles who can then talk about his online community and convince her that we were totally serious."

Alison grins too and says, "If you're going to lie… lie convincingly." "Exactly!"

As Scott scans over more of the document, he asks, "Okay, does it say how to find out who's controlling him?" Alison sighs and says, "Not really." And Stiles grins when Nixie pats his shoulder affectionately and says, "But Stiles was right about the murderers." "Yes!"

Nixie laughs at him while Alison explains, "The book calls the kanima a weapon of vengeance. There's a story in there about this South American priest who uses the kanima to execute murderers in his village." Stiles turns back to her and says, "Alright, see? So maybe it's not all that bad."

But then he looks to Nixie again when she finishes for Alison, "Until the bond grew strong enough that the kanima killed whoever the priest wanted it to… guilty of murder or not. Eventually it didn't matter." To which Stiles grimaces and says, "All bad. All very, very bad."

Alison nods, but then says in confusion, "Here's the thing though. The kanima's actually supposed to be a werewolf. But it can't be…" "Alison?"

Nixie, Stiles, and Scott freeze on the other side for a moment while Alison faces the librarian who had just spotted her. Stepping closer, the woman asks, "Um… sweetie… who are you talking to? It's…"

Scott and Stiles nearly fall all the way to the ground as Nixie shoves down on their shoulders to get them out of sight. Then she peers through the gap in the books and says, "It's just me Mrs. Collins." "Oh! Hello Nixie! Why are you…" "Oh, I'm just perusing over here while Alison peruses over there. We're working on our history projects together, but we have different subjects, so we're hunting together… but also not together. If you can make sense of that."

Mrs. Collins eventually just laughs at Nixie, and then goes back to her main desk. Sighing, Nixie then looks down at the boys and says, "Well, get back up. Alison was just about to tell us why the kanima can't be a werewolf."

But as Scott rises, he finishes before them, "It can't be… until it resolves that in its past which manifested it." Stiles sighs and says, "Okay, if that means that Jackson could use a few thousand hours of therapy, I could've told you all that myself. No translation needed."

Nixie nods and says, "You and me both." Stiles smiles and wraps an arm around her, but then they both look at Alison when she suggests, "What… what if it has something to do with his parents? His real ones, I mean."

Scott perks up as the idea tosses around in his head, and he asks, "Yeah, does anybody actually know what happened to them?" For a moment they all ponder that, and then Stiles sighs and says, "Lydia. She might." Scott looks to him and asks, "What if she doesn't know anything?"

Nixie shrugs and says, "It couldn't hurt to ask. At least, I don't think it could. We have to do it gently though. She's not in love with him anymore, but she does still care about Jackson. Protecting his secret on that point is probably going to take precedent over telling us what we need to know." Stiles nods and says, "So when we ask, you should probably do it. Or at least, you should be present." "Sounds good."

Alison nods, and then says, "In the meantime, he doesn't have a restraining order against me. I'll talk to Jackson myself."

Scott clearly doesn't like that plan, but Nixie nudges his shoulder and says, "She'll be alright. I'll keep an eye on her when I can. And Alison has officially put me as number one on her speed dial, so she'll have no trouble getting a hold of me if she needs to. It'll be fine Scott." "Maybe. But what am I supposed to do right now?"

Alison gives him a look and says, "You have a makeup exam. Remember?" Scott sighs and rolls his eyes, looking to Stiles and Nixie for support on his end. But Stiles nods that Alison is right, and Nixie gives Scott a firm stare before demanding, "You did study the notes I gave you… right?" "Yes. Yes, I studied them. But…" "Scott, we all know how important this is. That's why we're all helping. But school and your grades are important too. You can't just… quit on them because of all of this. You have a makeup exam. Make it up, and then we'll get back to work on this."

He finally nods at her, and then looks to Alison and says, "But if Jackson does anything, you run the other way." "Scott, I can take care of myself." "Alison, if you get hurt while I'm busy with some stupid test, someone's going to need to take care of me. If he does anything…" Alison shrugs and asks, "Like?"

Nixie rolls her eyes while Scott explain, "Anything weird or bizarre. Anything… anything…"

And then Stiles, to get to the point quicker, shoves his head through the bookshelves towards Alison and says, "Anything evil!"

And Nixie, who was already grinning at Stiles' head stuck in the bookcase, laughs when Alison shoves his face so he comes back through. She covers her mouth to keep the sound muffled, and then shrugs helplessly when Stiles gives her a look before he says, "Oh whatever. I made a point." "Yes. We all saw that."

He rolls his eyes at her, but then as they all separate to head down the halls, he wraps an arm around Nixie's shoulders and says, "We're stopping by my locker first." "Why?" "Because I have your coffee in there, and if you don't get it now it'll be cold later." "I'm not opposed to cold coffee." "Yes, but you like it better hot. Just hurry up and come with me and stop arguing!"

But he can't help but grin when she says, "I wasn't arguing. I was making a point. Surely you understand that."

* * *

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

Lydia, since they're back in school, is using the tone of voice that she obtains when pretending to be the airheaded beauty that the school thinks she is.

But when she catches Nixie's eyes, Nixie doesn't miss the worried edge there. She didn't understand why they were asking... why Nixie was asking. And she knew Nixie wouldn't ask if it weren't important in some way. But… it was still Jackson's secret, and Lydia still cared about him. So, just like Nixie had predicted, she really didn't feel comfortable telling them.

And Nixie would never hold it against her if she didn't. So with a soft nod, Nixie conveys that she understands that.

Stiles, on the other hand, pushes again and says, "Come on. Anyone who ever says, 'I'm not supposed to tell anyone' is always dying to tell someone. So tell me!" But as Lydia glances at him, he quickly corrects, "Us! Tell us! Please." "Why do you wanna know?"

And Nixie closes her eyes in annoyance when Stiles immediately responds, "I can't tell you that."

Stiles looks between both Nixie and Lydia in surprise when he sees them both giving him identical looks of annoyance as Lydia says, "Then I'm not telling you." As Lydia continues walking off, Stiles looks at Nixie and asks, "What? We can't…" "Could you at least try for a little more gentle subtlety? We're already barely telling her anything at all. Telling her straight up that we can't tell her yet another thing that she would like to know, is not going to get us closer to the information we need."

Sighing, Stiles nods that she's probably right. Then he turns back towards Lydia, dashes to catch up, and hurriedly says, "But, you are telling me that you could tell me something if you wanted to tell me?"

Lydia pauses for a second, and then actually grins slightly in amusement when she asks, "Was that a question?" Stiles thinks about it too, and then says, "It felt like a question." Then Lydia says, in the same tone as earlier, "Well, tell me if this feels like an answer. No."

Stiles grimaces in frustration, and then turns to Nixie and asks, "Are you gonna help me or not?" Raising an eyebrow, Nixie says, "My presence alone is already making her more agreeable to talk to us about it at all. I can't force her to tell us what happened to his parents. And furthermore, I'm not going to try. I told you it might be a lost cause. We'll just have to think of something else is all. We're smart people, we can do that."

He still goes after Lydia for a moment, wanting to try at least one more time.

And that's when Erica appears around the corner and pushes Stiles and slams him into the lockers nearby. "Ow. Hey Erica." "Why are you asking Lydia about Jackson's real parents?" Stiles looks down at the claws on his chest, for a moment worried.

Then Nixie grips Erica's wrist in a vice grip before asking in a hiss, "Why the hell are you bringing out the claws on camera, dumbass?" Erica first winces at the grip on her wrist, but then glances back to where Nixie nods, seeing the camera in the hall trained on them. Pulling her hand back hurriedly and retracting her claws, Erica looks between the two of them in what Nixie decides is both annoyance and also appreciation.

Hard to pull off… but Erica somehow does. Bravo to her.

Stiles hefts his backpack higher on his shoulder, and then says to Erica, "That's right. You wanna play Catwoman? I will be your Batman."

He walks past her hurriedly, but then he and Nixie both pause when Erica says, "If you're wondering about Jackson's real parents, they're about half a mile from here. In Beacon Hills Cemetery." Nixie narrows her eyes at Erica and points and says, "First of all, I still don't like you right now bitch. You are treading on thin ice. Very damn thin. So leave my boy alone."

Then she turns to Stiles and says, "Second of all, when did she become Catwoman? I'm supposed to be Catwoman. We discussed this earlier in the year." Stiles looks Nixie up and down for a moment, and then shrugs and says, "Catwoman is supposed to be kind of evil. You don't have an evil bone in your body. You can be…" "If you say Batgirl, I will kick your ass." "I was gonna go with Starfire or something like that actually."

Nixie ponders that a moment, and then says, "I'll be Raven. But I'm still highly offended that I wasn't consulted about this change ahead of time." "I'll be sure to notify you a week in advance next time I need to make a switch in our secret identities." "Good."

Back to Erica, Nixie says, "Now… what…"

But that's when her phone rings, and seeing Alison's name, Nixie answers and asks, "Yeah Alison?"

No answer. Just the muffled sound of Jackson talking to Alison. And as Nixie concentrates, she can hear that Alison's voice is shaking as she tries to talk back.

Snapping her phone shut, she looks up at Stiles and says, "Alison's in trouble. I'm going to find her. And you…" She points to Erica who nods that she's listening. Nixie still can't fathom why in the hell all three of them still look at her as though she were still a possible friend. She'd threatened to kill all of them, and their alpha, repeatedly.

Still, Erica was looking at her like she wanted to try and be a friend again. In any case, it didn't matter right now. Nixie just points and says, "Touch my boy again, and I'll kick your ass."

Then she takes off down the hall, to where she knows Scott is taking his test. Nixie may not know exactly where Alison is right off… but Scott will. He always does.

She's at the door in the same moment that Scott is preparing to run out of it. Narrowing her eyes at him, she marches inside and glances down at the test. Then she rolls her eyes and grabs Scott by his collar and drags him back to a desk.

Mr. Harris, for his part, doesn't argue when she takes the test off his desk and puts it back in front of Scott. Giving him a pencil again, Nixie says, "Read the last questions and answer them." Then to Harris, she says, "Tell me if he doesn't." Then back to Scott, she says, "If you fail this thing after you used my notes to study, don't think I won't kick your ass too. I'm in an ass kicking mood right now, and I will do it."

Then she leans closer and whispers, "Tell me where she is?" "Boys locker room." "Finish the test Scott. I've got this."

Then she leaves and takes off towards the locker room. And she is fully prepared to give Jackson another black eye and possibly another broken nose, if that's what it takes to get through to him again.

But when she arrives, Alison is sitting on the ground with her back against the wall, and Jackson is hurriedly trying to put on some shorts because he was naked.

He looked confused. Completely and utterly confused. But as he glances between the two, he seems to at least understand that he had done something wrong, because he holds up his hands and says, "I… I swear… I don't…"

Nixie relaxes out of her tense stance and then sighs and asks, "Alison? You good?" "Yeah. I'm fine. I swear." Nixie nods, and then looks back to Jackson and says, "It's alright. What do you remember?" He blinks in confusion at her, but then says, "I… I needed… I was going over my paper… in English. And… and then…"

He's still trying to remember exactly what he'd been doing, when Scott bursts into the room. And upon seeing Alison on the floor, he loses it and rushes in and throws Jackson into a set of lockers… hard enough to actually knock them over and onto their side on the floor.

Nixie, for her part, is too shocked at the moment to really react. So when Jackson and Scott really start going at it… well, for a moment she just stares at them. Then she glares before reaching down to grab Alison and pull her up off the floor. Gritting her teeth, she says, "Boys are idiots. Not all the time. But right now, even my boy is being a complete moron. Come on."

They step outside in the nick of time, and as Nixie and Alison stand there waiting for the fight between the two supernaturally charged individuals to end, Stiles and Erica round the corner and move to join them.

When Stiles hears what's going on, he looks at Nixie and asks, "You aren't threatening to kick Jackson's ass for hurting Scott?" "I'm all for kicking Jackson's ass when it's actually Jackson's fault. And usually it is. But right now… definitely not his fault. Scott started it. Scott can finish it himself."

As the two in question suddenly fly through the door though, Erica and Stiles work to separate them, and then Mr. Harris comes down the hall and demands, "What is going on?"

No one answers, or really gives any explanation at all. And Mr. Harris looks around at all of them, including Matt who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and then says, "All of you. Detention. Three o'clock."

Then he glances at Nixie, and for a moment he freezes worriedly, because she was included in the group, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with her glaring eyes for the hour and a half that detention would last.

But Nixie doesn't glare. If anything, she glares at Scott. Then she shrugs at Mr. Harris' confused expression, before saying, "This was utterly stupid and unnecessary. So yeah… probably deserved. Good job to you. I'll be there at three, with the rest of these losers."

And as she walks up the hall to her next class and Stiles catches up to her, she says, "Remind me to slap Scott in the back of the head when we get to detention. This is ridiculous. I had it handled, and then he comes in and attacks Jackson like he's done something wrong." "Didn't he?" "If he did, he didn't even realize it. And besides, Alison said she was fine, and she knows better than to lie to me about that."

Sighing, Nixie then says, "It's going to be a long day. I might need another cup of coffee later." "I'll make it a large." "You're the absolute best Stiles." "Well, I do try sometimes."

* * *

Nixie takes the seat on the other side of Erica while Stiles and Scott move across from her. And the questioning would've started there, except that Jackson, taking a seat at the table with Alison and Matt, said, "Uh, we can't be in detention together. I have a restraining order against these tools?"

Nixie raises an eyebrow at the word tools, but then they look to Mr. Harris when he asks, "All these tools?"

She knows he expected her to be in the mixture of whoever else Jackson had a restraining order against, which is why his eyes widened when Stiles gestured between himself and Scott and says, "No, just us tools?"

Taking a moment to get over his surprise at Nixie not being included, Harris says, "Fine. You two, over there."

And though he didn't point her out or tell her to move, no one argues when Nixie automatically stands up with the boys and moves to the other table with them. On her way, she gives Jackson a look of annoyance, but not the usual glare that makes him shrivel up into a ball.

Because Scott is trying his hardest to glare at Jackson that way himself. He doesn't quite pull it off though. Finally, Stiles just says, "Dude, just stop. Nixie's the only one he's really, truly, and always afraid of, and she isn't trying to scare him shitless right now. So just quit."

Turning back to both of them, Nixie having taken the seat next to Stiles, Scott says, "I'm going to kill him." Stiles quickly amends that for him and says, "No, you're not. You're gonna find out who's controlling him and then you're gonna help save him."

It's then that Nixie understands more fully that it isn't just Scott talking. It's the supernatural side of him too. He was so good already at staying in control… it was easy to forget that Scott was still a fairly new werewolf, still learning control and still learning to keep that side of himself in check.

Which is why when he'd seen Alison on the floor… he'd snapped. Alison was his anchor, the thing that kept him human. Seeing her in what he thought was a fragile and hurt state… it didn't bode well with him or the wolf inside of him. Which is why the next words Scott said were, "No. You were right. Let's kill him."

And so… well, Nixie still planned to hit him in the back of the head. Just not right now. She'd do it later, when she wasn't still so aggravated about having been dragged into detention by that stupid fight. But for now, she simply leans forward towards him and says, "Scott… you need to take a breath." "He…" "Is not in control of himself when he's like that. Someone else is controlling him… making him do all of these things. So you keep it together, and take a breath. Listen to Alison's heartbeat for right now, alright? Focus on that and then we'll try to figure out what our next move is."

They sit in silence for a while, Scott doing as Nixie suggested, Stiles looking around the room and all the people in it, and Nixie with her eyes closed, focusing on trying to figure out what exactly they should be trying to do next.

Well, aside from talking to Erica, who they would have to try and talk to later when Harris wasn't looking.

Then Stiles whispers, "Hey. What if it's Matt?" Nixie opens her eyes and glances at the boy sitting next to Alison. The same one she'd stolen a memory card from. The same one who had complimented Alison on her dress. And yes… probably an individual who could edit the video footage that Jackson had taken of himself. In fact… maybe Matt had provided him with the camera. She remembers Danny, at one point, telling Scott that he'd needed Matt's help with figuring out how to fix whatever was wrong with it.

Hence Stiles pointing out, "I mean, this whole thing comes back to the video, right?" Nixie nods and says, "He does have the mindset and skills to know how to do that." But Scott points out, in a much calmer and more thoughtful voice, "But Danny said that Matt was the one who found the two hours of footage missing in the first place."

Stiles, however, is still undeterred as he says, "Exactly! He's trying to throw suspicion off himself." Nixie tilts her head at that, and then says, "Not too far of a stretch. Granted, he'd have to know that someone was onto him. And aside from just right now… I didn't know we even considered him a suspect in all of this." But Stiles points out again, "Because he's been doing a really good job of throwing suspicion off of himself. Until now!"

Nixie grins over at Stiles, but then looks to Scott when he says, "So… he makes Jackson kill Isaac's dad, one of Argent's hunters, and the mechanic working on your jeep?" Stiles immediately says, "Yes!" "But why?"

To that, Stiles doesn't have an immediate answer. So he settles with, "Because… he's evil."

Nixie smirks and has to bite her lip to keep from laughing at that. Scott glances over at Matt, and then turns back to Stiles and says, "You just don't like him." "The guy bugs me! I don't know what it is."

As for Nixie… she hadn't really paid a whole lot of attention to him before. He hadn't been on her radar until this moment; hadn't been someone she needed to consider having an opinion on whether she liked him or not. But now…

There was something. She didn't exactly hate or even strongly dislike him. It wasn't like she'd felt when she'd instantly told Kate that she didn't like her, or when she'd seen Gerard and said that she didn't like him either. It was… it was a different feeling. Like…

Like she knew she couldn't trust him, and that he was a person that she would never be friends with. But… she could also understand him. She could… she could see that for whatever reason… him being the bad person that he was… it wasn't totally his fault.

How she knew all of that… why she felt any of it at all… Nixie has no idea. But her gut, at least when it came to people and her opinion of them, hadn't really steered her wrong before. Being a friend to Derek certainly hadn't turned out to be a good decision yet, but she still felt like he had hope and she wasn't about to totally give up on him yet.

So, with all that in mind, Nixie nods and says, "I don't like him either." To which Stiles flails while pointing his arms at her and says, "See! Even Nixie doesn't like him! And that always means something! I mean… just look at the guy's face!"

Well, that wasn't exactly a go-to thing for convincing Scott to agree with them. Matt didn't have a face that screamed, 'I'm a psychotic killer now'. Honestly, that was more Jackson, whenever he was pissed.

Turning back to them, Scott asks, "Any other theories?"

Which is when Jackson begins feeling his forehead and wincing in pain. As he leaves the room, explaining that he needs to get some water, Mr. Harris stands up too. Turning back to the room, he says, "No one leaves their seats."

And as soon as he's out the door, Nixie, Scott, and Stiles all move back to Erica's table.

Leaning forward towards her, Scott gestures to Stiles beside him and says, "Stiles says you know how Jackson's parents died." To which she smirks and says, "Maybe."

Nixie snags the notebook out of her hands, drops it on the table, and then says, "Not maybe dumbass. Yes or no. If any of us want to survive the remainder of this year with all our body parts intact, you help us figure out what we need to know, and you help us fast. Or you tell us you can't so we can move the hell on. So which is it? Do you know anything or are you useless?"

Stiles gives Nixie a look that says maybe that was a bit much at the end. Erica looks at her too, and before she answers their questions, she asks in what sincerely sounds like her old voice, "Do you… do you hate me?"

Nixie looks her up and down for a moment. She dressed like a slut pretty much now… because she could. And she had definitely taken to acting like a bitch quite a lot… again, because now she could.

But in spite of all of that… Nixie could still see the real Erica beneath all of that. So Nixie sighs and turns to watch the doors before saying, "No. I don't hate you. Yet. Heavy emphasis on the yet." Erica relaxes a little, and then smiles when Stiles winks at her approvingly before she turns back to Scott to answer his question. "It was a car accident. My dad was the insurance investigator, and every time he sees Jackson drive by in his Porsche, he makes some comment about the huge settlement he'll be getting when he's eighteen."

Nixie ponders that for a moment, but then can't help but laugh when Stiles says, "So not only is Jackson rich now, but he's getting even richer at eighteen?" Erica nods, and then grins when Nixie adds, "There's something very deeply wrong with that in my opinion. Just saying." Stiles nods and says, "I'm with you Nix." "Good."

Nixie sighs after a moment and says, "We need more than that though. I mean… a car accident… that doesn't explain to us why he became a kanima." Stiles nods, and then they look to Erica when she says, "You know what? I could try to find the insurance report in my dad's inbox. He keeps everything."

And Erica grins wider when Nixie says, "Good old investigators who never throw anything away. What would we do without them?"

Then the intercom comes on and Alison's mom's voice comes over the speakers and says, "Scott McCall, please report to the principal's office."

Raising an eyebrow, Nixie turns to him and asks, "You didn't do anything else stupid after the fight with Jackson… did you?" "No, I swear." "Hmm... wonder what she wants then." Scott shrugs and says, "Maybe it's the principal who wants me." "Doubtful, but I like the optimism Scott."

Erica keeps searching after he's gone, and when she finds it, Stiles comes around to their side, pulling up another chair. At this point, since they're on to something finally, he knows Nixie will use her eyes to glare Harris into submission again. He won't be called out on moving from his original seat. At least, not right away.

As Erica pulls open more of the files from the case, Stiles points and says, "Look at the dates." Nixie turns to look with them as Erica reads, "Passengers arrived at the hospital DOA. The estimated time of death 9:26 p.m., June fourteenth, 1995."

Nixie closes her eyes instantly and sighs sadly at that. When she opens them to see both Stiles and Erica looking at her in confusion, she leans closer and says, "Jackson's birthday is June fifteenth."

While they're taking a moment to process what that means, Harris has packed his bag and is heading towards the door. Everyone begins standing up to go and join him to leave… at which point he chuckles and says, "Oh, no, I'm sorry. Yes… I'm leaving. But none of you are. You may all go when you're done with the reshelving."

He pats the huge stacks of books and grins like a chesire cat at the rest of the room, very pleased with himself at adding this new twist and level of torture.

Stiles and Alison both think he's lost his mind. Or, at the very least, forgot for a moment that Nixie was one of the people in detention with the rest of them.

Which is why he immediately frowns and even trembles a little when Nixie turns to look at him and says, "Oh Mr. Harris. I do believe that'll be a problem. You see… there are rules about leaving student by themselves, unsupervised, after school hours on the premises. Now, it's one thing if a student returns on their own to do research or even to break in. You couldn't be blamed for that."

Leaning leisurely back against the desk, but looking at him with exceptionally piercing eyes now, Nixie continues, "But… well, you clearly intend to leave us here all alone, unsupervised. And maybe, if it was only one student, then you could maybe convince the schoolboard that you hadn't left him all alone, and that he was lying. But now… there are six of us, all willing to attest to the fact that you just up and left us to do the librarians' manual labor for them, without credit or pay I might add. And on top of that, there are cameras, you dumbass, to later prove that you abandoned us here to do work that I'm sure, in some way, you were supposed to do yourself."

Mr. Harris, for his part, has dropped his mouth open slightly in shock. He knew Nixie was smart. There wasn't a person in school who could doubt that. But… well, he hadn't expected her to know all the regulations that teachers had on them. Coach Finstock knew… because she'd called him out earlier in the year… but Harris hadn't. Not until just now anyway."

Nixie smirks just slightly, and then glances at the clock and says, "How about, we agree to stay until four-thirty, which is how long we're supposed to stay in the first place. We'll even look at some of the books sitting here, maybe even put a few away if we get bored. And in exchange for us not turning you in for being a negligent instructor and professor, you will happily not throw any of us in detention again for the remainder of the year. Sound good? I certainly think so."

He doesn't have much room to argue. The rest had seemed annoyed and bummed at first, when he'd originally planned to leave them there for the rest of the night. But upon Nixie's informed speech, all of them, even Jackson, looked ready and willing to back her up word for word and action for action, if Harris even so much as dared to argue or contest her proposal.

In the end, he just nodded, and as he prepared to walk out the door, he nearly tripped and fell when he heard Nixie say in a fake pleasant tone, "Enjoy the rest of your evening Mr. Harris."

As soon as he's gone, Erica gently taps her shoulder with an affectionate fist and says, "Isaac was right. You're kind of awesome."

And Stiles, Alison, and even Erica laughs when Nixie turns to her and says, "Kind of awesome? I'm going to have to have a talk with him. I'm one-hundred percent awesome. All the way. In case you haven't noticed, I don't do anything halfway. It's all or nothing. And I am all kinds of awesome. And wonderful. Make sure you inform him of that when you see him again."

* * *

When Scott finally comes back into the room, Nixie explains about the dates and Scott asks, "Wait… how is that even possible?" Nixie tilts her head at him and says, "Scott, your mom's a nurse. You should at least know some of this by now."

He just grins at her, and then looks at Stiles when he says, "It means he was born after his mom died by c-section. They had to pull him out of her dead body."

Stiles and Nixie give the other two a moment to process that, and then Alison asks, "So was it an accident or not?" Nixie shrugs and says, "Inconclusive." Scott looks at her and asks, "You mean you can't tell from the report?" Stiles jumps in and says, "Meaning the word all over the report is 'inconclusive'. They could never really determine it from the evidence that was there."

Scott nods, and then says, "So… his parents could've actually been murdered then?" Stiles nods too and says, "And if they were, then it falls in line with the kanima myth."

When the other three look at Stiles for more explanation, he shrugs and says, "You know? It seeks out and kills murderers." Alison jumps in and asks, "But for Jackson? Or for the person controlling him?"

Then Stiles looks to Nixie when she says, "Wait… Stiles, explain to me how Jackson's parents being murdered falls in with the myth. Just because the kanima goes after murderers… I don't see that we can draw the conclusion that the kanima is manifested because his parents were murdered though. And if Jackson was not even born when that happened… I mean… how would he even know? I mean… if he doesn't know then…"

Stiles stops her with a gentle hand and then says, "It says the kanima has to confront what conjured it up right? What manifested it? And I get what you're saying about Jackson not knowing if they were murdered or not. But… what if it's not necessarily a mind thing on that point. You know… he was the son of a dead woman. They pulled him out of her dead body. And in the realm of things supernatural… I don't know… but maybe that's kind of a thing that stays with you. Maybe he doesn't need to know in order for the supernatural aspect to be picked up on."

Nixie nods after a moment, and then says, "Alright. I can roll with that. Good job." "Thanks." Nixie then gestures to Alison and says, "Now, back to her question. For Jackson? Or for the person controlling him?"

They all ponder that for a moment, and then Scott sighs and says, "We have to talk to him. We have to tell him." Alison shakes her head and says, "He's not gonna listen to us." But Scott looks to Nixie and says, "He listened to you before. He at least let you explain some of it to him, and he didn't threaten you. He might…"

But as Scott glances to where Jackson is supposed to be… all he sees is a book on the ground. Tilting his head, Scott moves forward to the aisle, and then gasps as he sees Matt lying face down on the ground, a sharp cut to the back of his neck.

Nixie hears his gasp and asks, "Scott?" And that's when Jackson, only half transformed really, starts leaping and darting over the bookshelves, knocking shelves and tables over, tossing books around, tearing into the ceiling and lights… wreaking havoc and chaos in every which direction.

Turning to Stiles and Alison, Nixie says, "Stay behind me." Then she hears Scott shout, "Erica!"

The answering snarl tells Nixie that Erica is on alert, which is good because Nixie can't be everywhere at once. And as Jackson leapfrogs over the shelves above them, nearly knocking an entire line of books on top of Alison's head, Nixie grabs her and drags her down to the ground beneath her. Books fall and land on her back, a particularly large one smacking her in the back of the head, but when she leans back up again, she decides that she'll be okay as soon as she takes some Advil.

Stiles joins them on the ground after a moment, and then Nixie glances to the side when she hears Erica scream. Through the spaces between some of the books, she can see Erica fall limp and hit the ground hard.

That left them with Scott as the only remaining supernatural creature to go up against Jackson. Not good. Not good at all.

Scott, for his part, can't follow Jackson fast enough with his eyes. And when Jackson ends up right beside him, he jumps in surprise before growling at him. Jackson hisses in return and then shoves and kicks Scott hard enough backwards that he tumbles into one of the book carts and knocks it over, falling on top of it.

Jackson's half-scale covered form makes to charge at him again… but Nixie jumps up off the ground and sprints to stand in front of Scott. "Jackson!"

His figure pauses, and Nixie watches as his eyes shift between looking like that of a reptile, and looking like that of a young man. Jackson was in there. Even if he was in a fugue state, and even if he couldn't remember everything he kept on doing afterwards… he was still in there and he knew her.

Nixie can't fathom why it was her that he responded to the strongest out of all of them. Of the four of them together, Nixie was certain she was the one he should hate the most. But for whatever reason, he could somehow make himself stop when he'd heard her.

He moves over to the chalk board, and Scott scrambles up and both he and Nixie take up protective positions in front of Alison and Stiles.

Jackson, for his part, walks and moves now like Nixie imagines a zombie would. His head tilts and turns and his arm stretches out to write on the board, but all the motions look labored and strained and forced… as though someone were pulling strings on a puppet and forcing him to move that way.

They don't try to stop him from leaving. And once he's gone, Nixie stands up straight with the others and moves to read what Jackson wrote on the board.

" _Stay out of my way, or I'll kill all of you."_

Nixie lets out a shaky breath and says, "Damn. Whoever is controlling him… we certainly pissed him off." Stiles glances at her and asks, "How do you know it's a him?" "I'm just saying 'him'. If it turns out to be a woman, I'll call him a her. Either way, we pissed 'it' off."

And then she hears the gasping and labored breathing of Erica on the floor. It sounds similar to when she'd been human… when Nixie had caught her while she was falling off the rock climbing wall. Dashing over to her, Stiles close behind, she says, "Oh God."

Bending down and helping Stiles flip her over, trying to hold her head steady, she looks up at Stiles and says, "Call 9-1-1." Stiles looks up at Scott and Alison, who are still looking at the board, and says, "Hey! I think she's having a seizure!"

Scott comes over to them while Alison goes to check on Matt. Nixie bends down closer to Erica and says, "You're gonna be fine. We'll get you to a hospital and…" "No… no hospitals." Nixie frowns at that, but then glances over when Alison says, "He's alive."

Nixie sighs and says, "Alright, we need to get both of them to a…" But Erica says again, "No. To Derek. Only to Derek." "Erica… you need…" "Derek. Please."

Sighing, Nixie looks up at Scott and says, "To Derek." Scott looks over at Alison, who then says, "Go."

Nixie watches as Scott scrambles away from them, and even as Stiles shouts for Scott to come back, she says, "Stiles, try to help me get her up." "I can't… I don't…" "Just try and help me!"

But Nixie needs to keep her head as steady as she can… and she can't do that and help Stiles lift her off the ground. They would need Scott's help.

And Alison knew it… which is why she was telling Scott to go with them. Except… it also sounded like something else.

Scott feels it too, feels like something about all of this isn't right. Maybe it's all of them. Maybe, for some reason, it's just Alison. But they can all feel it.

But Nixie can't change the fact that in order to get Erica to Derek, Scott has to go with them. And someone has to stay with Matt and make sure an ambulance came for him.

When Scott joins them, helping to pick Erica up, Nixie keeps a hold of her head while moving beside Scott as fast as they can. In Stiles' jeep, she sits in the back with Erica's head in her lap, holding it as still as possible.

Erica manages to look up at her from time to time, amidst her eyes blinking rapidly and her head tossing whenever Nixie loses her firm grip. Smiling slightly, Erica whispers, "You wouldn't ever kill me… would you?" Nixie meets her gaze, and then says honestly, "I would if you hurt one of my boys beyond repair. I would if you did that." Erica, albeit shakily, manages a nod of acknowledgement, and then smiles again when Nixie says, "But no… apart from that, no I would never kill you."

And in the spirit of trying to keep the mood light, Stiles glances back at them and says, "Contrary to popular belief, Nixie isn't actually as murderous as she seems. People just believe that because she does mean her threats. They are very real. But so long as me and Scott remain untouched, she's just a cuddly and soft teddy bear."

And in spite of everything, Scott laughs when Nixie says, "Teddy bear that could kick your ass."

* * *

When they finally get to the substation, Derek is waiting for them at the entrance. And though in a hurry to help get Erica out and into the railcar so he can help her, he doesn't argue when Nixie tells him to slow down and be mindful of her head. Scott takes over holding her steady as Nixie gets out of the car, and then they all follow Derek down.

Once inside, Derek lays her on the ground and says, "Pull her up." Stiles slides down to sit behind her, letting Erica's shaking body rest against him to help her sit up. Nixie prepares to move out of the way, to ask if Derek needs anything else that she can go get.

But Erica's right hand snatches at her wrist, dragging Nixie back to the ground beside her. Squeezing tightly, Erica says, "Stay. Please… stay." Nixie doesn't argue, and then turns to Derek and asks, "What the hell is happening to her? Is she dying?" Derek looks Erica over and says, "She might be… which is why this is gonna hurt?"

The sound of crunching bone alerts Nixie to the fact that Derek broke Erica's arm, and then Erica is screaming in pain. Reaching out and cupping Erica's face in her hand, Nixie says, "Hey! Hey! Look at me! Focus on me!"

Erica does as Nixie says, and Nixie doesn't dare break eye contact with her, for fear of Erica losing it or passing out if she does. So Nixie appreciates it very much when Stiles shouts in anger for her, "You broke her arm!"

Nixie still isn't sure it was entirely necessary, but at least Derek does explain why he did it when he says, "It'll trigger the healing process."

Then he puts a hand on Nixie's shoulder and says, "I still gotta get the venom out. And this is where it's really gonna hurt. You might wanna let go of her." "I will not. Do what you have to do. We're fine here."

As Derek reaches for her arm again, Nixie grips Erica's face more firmly and says, "Eyes on me. Focus on me Erica."

She screams through her teeth at the pain as Derek claws into her arm, forcing blood and venom out of her system. But Erica's eyes never leave Nixie's face… not until her body stops shaking and her eyes drift shut in relief.

Stiles slumps back so Erica can lay back and relax more against his body. And as she looks up at him and he brushes some of her hair from her face, still looking her over to make sure he thinks she's actually alright now, she smiles. Reaching up to gently touch his chin, Erica says, "Stiles… you make a good Batman."

And then she glances at Nixie and says, "And you make a good Raven."

And before she finally passes out from exhaustion, she laughs a little and smiles when Nixie says, "Yeah, well, you're not too bad of a Catwoman yourself."

When Erica's finally asleep, Nixie looks up at Stiles and asks, "You good for a minute?" "Yeah."

Then she follows Scott and Derek out of the car. Derek moves to sit and lean against a nearby table while Scott says, "You know who it is." Turning to face them both, Derek takes a moment to consider… and then nods and says, "Jackson." Nixie raises an eyebrow and asks, "Very forthcoming with the information now? What changed?" Derek sighs and says, "Keeping it from any of you doesn't appear to be working anyway."

Scott then asks, "So… you just wanted Erica to confirm it, didn't you?" Derek nods to that.

Then he glances at Nixie when she jerks to look at Scott in surprise as the young beta says, "I'm gonna help you stop him. As part of your pack." When Scott looks over at her, she was about to ask him what the hell he was doing. But the look in his eyes pleaded for her to not argue with him on this… at least, not yet.

So she remained silent as Scott kept on going. "If you want me in, fine. But we'll do it on one condition. We're gonna catch him. Not kill him." Derek, while pleased that Scott will be joining them in this endeavor, is wary of what else Scott might want in exchange for that help, so he asks warily, "And?"

Scott simply says, "And we do it my way." Derek raises an eyebrow and asks, "And why is that?"

And Scott feels a sense of relief when Nixie backs him up by saying, "Because Scott's way always involves the least amount of casualties. Or are you forgetting that everything you've tried so far has nearly gotten everyone around you killed or nearly beaten to death?"

Derek glances over at her, and then finally nods and says, "Alright. We'll give it a shot."

Scott nods to that, and then they all turn when Boyd hurriedly races down the stairs. Sprinting over to them, panting and out of breath, he simply asks desperately, "Where… where is she?"

Nixie glances back at the railcar, and as Boyd dashes in that direction, she says for his benefit, "She's out like a light Boyd, but she's gonna be fine. Your alpha has seen to that."

And at Derek's appreciative nod, she adds sarcastically, "Yeah, don't get used to it. I still think you're an ass." "Noted."

Stiles comes out shortly after that, and then after agreeing to talk more in the morning about what they're going to do about Jackson; all three head out to the jeep and head home.

Stiles drops them off at Scott's house with a promise of more coffee in the morning when he stopped by to get them. Then Nixie followed Scott up to his room, and after shutting the door, she asks, "Alright. Why the hell are we in Derek's pack now?"

Scott grins at her and asks, "We?" "Oh please. Like you actually think you're going anywhere without me. And if Derek isn't on board with that, he can kiss my ass and your ass goodbye. I don't care if I have to drag you away kicking and screaming. You don't get to just up and leave me out of the loop. Nope. Doesn't work like that."

Scott chuckles, and then sits down on the edge of his bed and sighs before saying, "We need to talk. About Gerard." "What about him? Do you know what he wants?" "Yeah."

Nixie nods after a moment of Scott's silence, and then says, "Tell me what he wants." "He… he wants the bite. From an alpha."

Frowning deeply in confusion, Nixie says, "That… doesn't make sense. He's an Argent. He's a hunter. He… that makes absolutely no sense. Did he tell you that?" Scott shakes his head and says, "No. He's only talked about the kanima really, and wanting vengeance against Derek. And he does want to kill Derek. But not before he gets the bite. I know he wants that too." "How? How do you know that?" "Because… I finally realized what the smell was." Tilting her head, Nixie asks, "Smell?" Scott nods and says, "He… it was when he threatened me at the hospital. It's… he's…"

When he stops again, Nixie sighs and says, "Scott, I can't help you beat him if you don't tell me what's going on. So spit it out. Why does he want the bite?" "Because he's dying."

Tilting her head again, Nixie asks, "Dying? How… how do you know that? Did he tell you?" "No… no he didn't tell me anything about it at all. But…" Looking up at her again, he says, "I can… I can smell it on him… around him. It's the same way with the animals at the clinic now. I can tell the difference. I can tell… I can tell which ones are getting better… and which ones aren't."

Nixie ponders that a moment, and then says, "So… you can literally smell death. You can smell when someone is close to dying or is dying." "Yeah."

Nodding, Nixie says, "Okay. Okay… I can work with that." Blinking in surprise, Scott asks, "You can?" "Yes."

He watches as she starts pacing back and forth in his room, and then she nods again and says, "Yeah. I can work with that. We'll have to talk to Deaton. He can help us. And he can make sure we don't accidentally kill him ourselves. I wouldn't really mind, but I think you'd never forgive yourself if you did that." "Probably not."

Standing up and moving into her path, stopping her from pacing further, he asks, "What are you thinking we're going to do?"

And his eyes widen when she answers, "We're going to poison him. But not with anything lethal to humans. We're going to start poisoning him as if he were a wolf. We're going to poison his body inside so when he tries to take the bite from Derek, his body not only won't want to accept it, but it physically can't accept it."

Nodding firmly, Nixie says, "We're going to ensure that, no matter what else happens, Gerard Argent will never become any kind of supernatural creature. Not now, or any time in the future."

* * *

Chapter 7! Yay! And Chapter 8 will, hopefully, be up by tomorrow. Hope you guys are enjoying it still. Let me know. :)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 8: Episode 2x8

Nixie glances down at her phone when she gets Scott's next text. Throughout the day, he'd been keeping tabs on Jackson, and keeping her up to date. And through her, Stiles and Alison were also being kept in the loop.

And Derek. Though Nixie still isn't entirely sure how she feels about working with him again right now. But… at least for the moment… it did look like he was on board with trying to do it Scott's way. The way that would hopefully leave Jackson alive, but somehow also rid them of the kanima.

Nixie still has no earthly idea how they're going to manage that, but for now she focuses on the positives. Like how they have greater numbers now, and more strength in those numbers, so pulling off a plan to catch Jackson might actually work this time, and in a way that doesn't get anyone else slapped with a restraining order.

Upon reading the text that tells her Jackson is at a warehouse downtown, apparently purchasing tickets to something called an 'Underground Show', Nixie raises an eyebrow and says, "Interesting. Our killer likes for the kanima to go and buy music tickets. What is Jackson to him? Just an errand boy? What the hell?"

Buying music tickets makes no sense to her. But as Noah and Stiles come back into the office, Stiles with food and Noah with a case file to look at, Nixie stashes her phone back in her pocket and smiles up at them.

When Stiles hands out the food and Noah takes a bite, Nixie can't help grinning when he pauses at whatever he just ate. Then he drops it back on the wrapper and asks, "Oh, what the hell is this Stiles?" "Veggie burger." "Stiles… I asked for a hamburger."

Stiles shrugs and says, "Yes, well, veggie is healthier. We're being healthy." Noah opens what should be French fries, and instead inside the container he finds carrots and celery. Sighing, he says, "Oh hell, why are you trying to ruin my life?"

As Nixie opens up the salad that Stiles got for her, she raises it up for Noah to see and then says, "Your son is trying to extend your life. Which, consequently, would be a life thoroughly wasted if you were too die sooner from the lack of any healthy food being introduced into your diet."

Stiles grins at her, and then rolls his eyes when she says, "But fear not. Tomorrow is my night to buy… and I will be bringing Italian, which will be filled with pasta, which should make you happy and make up for today."

Noah chuckles at her, and then to appease Stiles, Nixie reminds him, "There are vegetables too. Don't have a fit." "I wasn't having a fit!" When she raises an eyebrow at him, he concedes, "Okay, a slight fit. Nothing more. Now, will both of you just shut up and eat the healthy food I bought you. And dad, tell us what you found?"

Noah looks at both of them and then says, "No! I'm not sharing confidential police work with a couple of teenagers!" Nixie leans back and sighs and says, "Well, I guess that settles that then. I mean… it's not like either of us has any other way of figuring it out." Noah gives her a look now and says, "If I find any files missing at the end of the day, I'm cuffing you to the kitchen table at home."

Nixie shrugs nonchalantly, but then glances at Stiles before nodding her head pointedly at the board directly behind Noah's desk. Stiles looks at it intently, and then smirks a little before asking, "Is that it on the board behind you?"

Noah pauses and glances back, actually having momentarily forgotten it was up there. Then he turns back and says to Nixie, "Why do you point these things out to him?" "He would've seen it anyway! I just sped up the process. I've been sitting here for thirty minutes waiting on you slow pokes. I've already got the whole thing memorized."

Stiles, however, is just seeing it, and as he keeps tilting and lifting his head to see new parts of the board, Noah says, "Don't look at that. Avert your eyes. Stiles…" "Alright, but I just… I see arrows pointing at pictures. And documents. And…" "Alright, alright, stop! Fine!"

Looking to Nixie again, he points between the two of them and says, "Make sure to remind me that if you two ever end up having to be put in interrogation, that you are never allowed to be in the same room together, for any period of time." Nixie smirks and asks, "Afraid we'll plot to take the whole place down with us?" "Something like that."

Sighing, Noah then says, "I did find something." Nixie and Stiles both lean forward eagerly, and Noah does grin at that. Both were always so eager to hear about what new connection or information he'd found in the course of solving a case. Nodding, he says, "The mechanic, and the couple who were murdered. All of them had something in common."

Stiles sits forward even more and asks, "All three?" Noah nods and says, "And you know what I always say. One's an incident." Nixie grins and says to Stiles, "Two's coincidence." Stiles grins back and finishes, "Three's a pattern."

Noah grins and says, "You two may make fine officers yet, granted you don't get into any more trouble with the law." Stiles leans back and says, "Nixie didn't get in trouble." But Noah just gives Nixie a knowing look before saying, "And how she got out of it when you and Scott didn't, I don't know." Nixie shrugs in response and says, "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." "Right."

Turning back to the main topic at hand, Noah says, "Anyway… The mechanic, the husband, the wife. All the same age. All twenty-four." Stiles nods to that, but then brings up, "Wait a minute though… what about Mr. Lahey?" Nixie nods too and says, "Yeah, he wasn't anywhere near twenty-four." Noah nods in agreement with both of them and says, "Which made me think that either A, Lahey's murder wasn't connected, or B, the ages were a coincidence. Then I found this, which would be option C."

He hands the file over to Nixie, and asks, "Did you know that Isaac Lahey had an older brother named Cameron?" Nixie looks up at him as she opens the file, and then back down at the report on Isaac's brother. Shaking her head, Nixie says, "It's probably something he doesn't like to talk about." Noah nods, and then turns to Stiles when he reads over Nixie's shoulder, "Died in combat."

Noah holds up a hand, knowing Stiles is about to comment on how Cameron died at nineteen. Raising a finger, he says, "But, if Cameron were alive today, take one guess as to how old he'd be." Nixie and Stiles look at each other, and then both turn back to Noah and say, "Twenty-four."

Nixie passes the folder to Stiles and is about to stand up and approach the board, forgetting about the salad on the table. But Noah catches her wrist and gently pulls her back. "Look, you two want to help, fine. I doubt I'd be able to convince either of you to leave, no matter what I said. But you… you are going to finish eating first. According to Stiles, you already skipped several meals this week."

Nixie gives Stiles a look, to which he shrugs with a mouthful of his own salad already in his mouth. Then she turns back to Noah and says, "I've been busy. It's not like I've been starving." "Nevertheless, if you want to get closer to the board, you will eat first. Then we'll look at it some more." "Oh fine. But only because I'm not in the mood to argue with you." Noah grins and says, "Appreciated. I'd probably lose." "Probably. I'm very good at winning my arguments most of the time." Stiles raises a hand in victory and says, "I'm the exception."

And then he laughs when Nixie says, "Only because you and I hardly ever truly disagree about anything. And when we do, we more talk it out rather than argue about who's right or not."

* * *

Noah turns on the light in his office after their food is gone and as they all stand before the board of evidence and connections, Stiles asks, "Okay, now, what if same age means same class? I mean, did you think of that?" Noah nods immediately, but then concedes, "Well, I would've. I mean, I just got Lahey's file two hours ago."

Stiles jerks around to look at him and says, "Two hours! Dad, people could be dying!" As Noah prepares to comment back to his son that he clearly already knows that, Nixie says calmly from beside them, "Stiles, not helping. And if you'll recall, two hours ago is when you decided you would get the food, and then take forever about getting it here. You can't exactly expect anyone to do their best work on an empty stomach."

Noah grins at her, but Stiles simply points at her and says, "You have the same work ethic on an empty stomach." "That's because I'm more stubborn and a tiny bit crazier than you." "Oh really?" "Yeah. But it's all part of my charm." "Right. Obviously."

Noah chuckles at both of them and then says, "Alright you guys. Back on track alright?" Stiles and Nixie nod, and then Nixie says, "Same class. Hmm… Noah, are there any year books or high school records around here?" "Be right back."

When he returns with a stack of high school class information throughout the years, all three start sifting through it to find the correct one.

Stiles is the one who opens a blue folder and says, "Alright, here it is. Class of 2006." Nixie reads over his shoulder and says, "They all went to Beacon Hills." Stiles nods, and then they look to Noah when he points to the book he's looking at and says, "Including Isaac's brother."

Nixie stands up and says, "That's a start anyways." Stiles stands up straight too, but then turns to her and says, "Yeah but… I mean, so what if they all knew each other, you know? I mean… two of them were married… maybe they all just hung out. It doesn't mean…" Nixie nods and says, "They could've had the same classes together. Maybe the same teacher."

Both she and Stiles jump when Noah says, "Bingo. Look at this." They look down, and then look back at each other. Stiles huffs and says, "It really had to be him, didn't it." Nixie nods, and then says, "Don't worry about him." "He already…"

But when Noah begins looking at the two of them in concern, Nixie quickly says, "I know. He's a hard-ass when it comes to his class and the grades people get. We'll get used to it by the end of high school. Moving on."

Stiles nods appreciatively to her for saving him from having to explain this 'Mr. Harris' situation. Noah, because Stiles wanted it that way, still didn't know that Harris was giving Stiles a particularly hard time in school now, because of the questioning Noah had done to Harris earlier in the year. And Stiles had almost given that secret away… but Nixie knew how much he didn't want Noah to find out.

Stiles gives her shoulder a squeeze in further appreciation, and then to his dad, he asks to make sure, "So… they were all in his class? All four?" Noah nods, and then says, "I'm still not sure how Lahey fits in… but this… kids, this is definitely a pattern. Open up that year book and find me everyone else in that chemistry class."

Nixie tosses it to Stiles and then hands Noah the phone before he even reaches for it. He grins at her, and then asks in a more somber tone, "You thinking what I'm thinking?" "Depends. I'm beginning to think that the subject of chemistry is entirely too overrated." Noah grins even as he gives her an exasperated look, and then says, "I'm thinking that if the killer, whoever it is, isn't done killing, then one of them is next."

Nixie nods back at him, and then says, "Pretty much the same thing. Just said in two entirely different ways. I like mine better though. There's more humor in it." "You mean sarcasm." "Again my dear Noah… same thing."

* * *

When Scott opens the door of the clinic later and he sees Isaac right behind Derek, he immediately asks, "What's he doing here?" Derek, a bit tired as he walks in, simply says wearily, "I need him."

Scott looks Isaac up and down, and even though Nixie didn't exactly have a problem with Isaac anymore, at least for the moment, he still said, "I don't trust him." Isaac gives Scott a look and says, "Yeah, well, he doesn't really trust you either."

Derek's patience is already wearing thin today, so when Isaac speaks for him in terms of whether or not he trusts Scott, Derek turns to both of them and says in annoyance, "You know what? And Derek really doesn't care. Now where's the vet? Is he going to help us or not?"

From the other room, Deaton comes to lean against the doorframe and says, "That depends." Looking more at Scott then the others, Deaton asks, "Your friend, Jackson. Are we planning to kill him… or save him?"

And at the same time Scott says, "Save him," Derek says, "Kill him."

Scott grits his teeth and turns to Derek in annoyance. And Isaac, because Derek is his alpha, almost feels like maybe he should get up and defend Derek. Derek, for his part, is this close to trying to bite Scott's head off.

That's when Nixie's voice from the back room says, "Told you he'd say that."

Deaton turns to her, and as she comes to lean against the other side of the door, she nods to Scott and says, "Got your message by the way." Scott relaxes instantly, and then asks, "Yeah, but I thought you were with…" "I was with Stiles and his dad. They're onto something and Stiles is going to keep me informed. And now I'm here." Scott shrugs and asks, "Why? I can handle them?" "You… I have no doubt you would be left unscratched, if for no other reason than because Derek knows I will kill him the next time he hurts you."

She glares at the alpha behind Scott, and then turns back to Scott and says, "Deaton, however, though wise he may be, is much more fragile. I'm here to protect him from whatever clawed threats Derek and his minion may be willing to make."

Isaac's shoulders slump at the word minion, but when Nixie catches his eye, she gives him a slight smile, and then concedes, "Don't worry Isaac. You're still only dumbass 4 on the scale of dumbasses I have to deal with right now." Raising an eyebrow, he asks, "And the others?" "Three is Erica. Two is Derek."

Turning back to the back room, Nixie says, "And number one is Jackson. So if we're going to catch him and try to save him so he can remain in that position, as he has for the past several years, we should probably get cracking."

Scott follows after her, and as the others join them and Deaton brings down a set of jars filled with special herbs, roots, and ashes, Nixie stands on his left. Isaac reaches out to grab one of the containers, but Derek quickly grips his wrist and pulls it back while saying, "Watch what you touch."

At Isaac's confused face, Nixie says, "Some of it has the potential to kill you Isaac." Then she looks to Deaton and asks, "What's this?"

Deaton tells her the names of each as she points to them, until finally he just grins and asks, "Would you like a book to look at instead?" "Yeah! That'd be great actually." "I'll get you one as soon as possible."

Isaac then leans down on the table and asks, "So, what are you? Some kind of witch?" Nixie raises an eyebrow at him and is about to comment back that his question was simply stupid at this point. But Deaton put a gentling hand on her shoulder and then simply said, "No. I'm a veterinarian."

He then looks through the jars again, and then says, "Unfortunately, I don't see anything in what I have that's going to be an effective defense against a paralytic toxin." Derek nods in understanding, and then says, "We're open to suggestions."

Nixie does smile at that, and Derek grins slightly back before turning to look at Isaac, who asks, "What about an effective offense?" Derek shakes his head and says, "We already tried. I nearly took it's head off. And Argent emptied an entire clip into it. The thing just gets back up." Deaton looks over at Nixie, who shrugs and nods to confirm all of that. Then Deaton asks in confusion, "Has it shown any weaknesses?"

Derek shrugs and says, "Well… one. It can't swim." Deaton nods and asks, "Does that go for Jackson as well?"

Nixie leans back at that, and then makes a thoughtful sound in the back of her throat while Scott says, "No." When Scott looks at her, he asks, "What?" "Oh… I just… don't know why I didn't think of that sooner." Deaton smiles at her and says, "You can't think up everything all the time." "Yeah, but I do try. And I'm highly disappointed in myself for not thinking of that particular fact sooner."

When Derek leans forward, pinning her with a thoroughly confused expression, Nixie explains, "Jackson is captain of the swim team. He's the best swimmer in Beacon Hills. And yet the kanima, which is Jackson, can't swim. Makes no sense. Unless…"

She looks at Deaton, who nods and says, "Two different people. The Jackson we know… and the Jackson who is bonded with its master."

Looking up at everyone now, Deaton says, "Essentially you're trying to catch two people." As he draws some ancient coin from a drawer and sets it on the table, he says, "A puppet, and a puppeteer."

Nixie shrugs when Scott looks at her and then at the coin, as though asking what it was about. She didn't have a clue what made the coin special. And besides, that wasn't the point right now. She looks back to Deaton when he says, "One killed the husband, but the other had to take care of the wife. Do we know why?"

Silence for a moment, and then Scott says, "I don't think Jackson could do it. His mother died pregnant too, and she was maybe murdered. I think he couldn't let the same thing happen to someone else." Then Isaac, who Nixie noticed was deep in thought for a moment, says, "How do you know it's not part of the rules? The kanima kills murderers. If Jackson kills the wife, then the baby dies too."

Scott ponders that, and then asks, "Then does that mean your father was a murderer?"

Isaac leans back a little, but then says, "Wouldn't surprise me if he was."

Then he looks back at Scott, as do the rest of them, when they hear a slap from that direction. Scott jerks in surprise and then rubs the back of his head while looking over at Nixie and asking, "What was that for?!" "For asking that question, you big dummy. We can just assume Isaac's dad was a bad man. We don't need to go asking Isaac about it and dragging up bad memories. Geez, use your brain."

Isaac grins at her, and then she looks at Deaton and asks, "So… we're on the same page right? Jackson's not afraid of water, so why would the kanima be? Unless…" Deaton nods in approval at her, and then looks to the others and says, "The book says that they're bonded. So what if the fear of water isn't coming from Jackson, but from the person controlling him? And in that case… what if…"

Deaton holds up the jar filled with mountain ash that he'd pointed out earlier, and then asks, "What if something that affects the kanima, affects the master as well?" Nixie grins as Isaac asks, "Meaning what?"

Scott nods at Nixie and says, "Meaning we can catch them." Nixie nods right back at him, and adds, "Both of them. Now we're getting somewhere."

* * *

"There's gotta be some other way to get tickets, right?"

As Stiles pulls up his front seat so Nixie can get out, handing her the coffee he'd brought her in the process, he says to Scott's question, "It's a secret show. There's only one way, and it's a secret." Nixie takes a sip from the cup he brought for her, sighs, and then says, "Heavenly. This is wonderful." Stiles grins at her, and then sighs but nods his head that she might be right, as Nixie adds, "Also, there's always more than one way to get tickets to a thing like this. We just… happen to not be the type of kids who people tell about these kinds of things."

Scott sighs himself and then says, "With the way my grades look… I look like I'm turning into one though." Nixie pats him on the shoulder and says, "You have another extra credit essay to write. That'll help. And I've been looking into the options for summer classes. Right now, you look like you'll only need to take two at the most, and both of them can be taken in the first six weeks of the summer. Meaning we'll still have six left over before school starts again. We've got this, Scott. So don't stress. Stress about the show tonight."

He grins over at her and nods his head. She made it sound a whole lot easier than it felt, but he knew she'd also be there with him over the summer, helping him with everything to make sure he stayed in the same grade they did. Nixie wasn't about to let him fall behind. He's pretty sure it fell into the category where 'Hell would freeze over' before she'd let it happen.

They all turn around on the sidewalk when they hear Matt say from behind them, "Hey. Any of you know why no one's getting suspended after what happened the other day at school?" Nixie shrugs and says, "They know we didn't do that." Matt gives her a look and asks, "Who else do they think might've done it?" "How the hell am I supposed to know that? But lights were ripped off the ceiling, the window that is about twenty feet into the air was shattered, and then everything else on top of it… they know we didn't do that. If for no other reason, than because half of the shit that happened, we aren't even capable of pulling off."

Stiles nods at her, and then says, "Just forget about it Matt. Nobody got hurt." Matt now gives him a look and says, "I had a concussion." "Well, nobody got seriously hurt." "I was in the ER for six hours." Nixie rolls her eyes at that and says, "Poor baby."

Matt looks to her in annoyance, but then back to Stiles when he says, "Okay, you wanna know the truth, Matt? Your little bump on the head, is about this high…" Stiles literally bends nearly all the way to the ground, his hand only just an inch above it as a sign of how high Matt is on their meter of concerns. Then he finishes, "…on our list of problems right now."

Nixie can't help chuckling at him, and then when Matt looks at her again, wondering what the hell she finds so funny, she just gestures to Stiles as her answer. Then she comments, "But seriously… we have other things to deal with. You're fine, as we can clearly see. So just move on."

Scott looks at both of them, giving them a look that says, 'We should probably handle this a tiny bit better, at least'. Then he looks at Matt and asks, "Are you okay?" Which is apparently what Matt wanted, because he looks at Scott in appreciation and then says, "Yeah, I'm fine now." Stiles stands back up and shakes his head in annoyance, and then grins at Nixie when she comments, "And yet, we're still here talking about it."

Scott glances at her, but then looks to Matt again when he says, "So you didn't get any tickets last night either." Shaking his head with chagrin, Scott then asks, "Are they still selling?" "No… but I managed to find two online? You guys should keep trying. Sounds like everyone's going to be there."

Literally as soon as he's walked away, Stiles reiterates, "I don't like him." To which Nixie raises her hand and says, "Seconded. But, he's right. We should keep trying." Stiles huffs and then asks both of them, "Are you guys sure about this?" Scott nods and explains, "Last time, whoever's controlling Jackson had to kill somebody because Jackson didn't finish the job. So what do you think he's going to do this time?"

Nixie waits, and then smiles when Stiles huffs again but answers, "Be there to make sure it happens." He wraps an arm around Nixie's shoulders and asks, "What are you grinning at?" "You. You already knew why we were doing this. Why do you feel the need to question it repeatedly?"

And she laughs when Stiles says, "I'm questioning it in the hopes that someone will finally say, 'Yeah, you're right Stiles. We don't actually need to do this. Let's stay home tonight and work on our English paper.' Which, consequently, I actually do need to work on." "I'll schedule you in for an editing session after we trap the big and bad kanima." "Excellent!"

* * *

When Nixie meets them at the clinic later and Stiles hands her a ticket to the show, she raises an eyebrow and asks, "How?" Stiles just shakes his head and says, "Don't ask. It was excessive. But… me and Scott didn't have to do anything bad to get them… so we can't get in any more trouble for it. Which is good, because I can't afford anymore trouble." Nixie nods to that, and then they all walk inside to talk to Deaton.

Nixie has no idea what the bottle is he's holding, but Scott recognizes it and asks, "Ketamine?" Deaton looks to them, and then explains for the others benefit, "It's the same stuff we use on the dogs, just a higher dosage." Laying it down on the table for them, he adds, "If you can get close enough to Jackson, it should slow him down enough to buy you some time."

Nixie looks down and then holds up the big ass needle that someone needs to shoot into Jackson. Then she looks over at Scott and asks, "How come you get this job? I'm up for it. I could totally do this." Scott just gives her a look and asks, "Without actually hurting him by jamming it in too hard?" "I never said I could do it with the same medical expertise that you could. I just said I could totally do it. Big difference."

He grins at her, and then they look to Deaton again when he holds up a jar and says, "This is some of what you'll use to create the barrier. This part is for you, Stiles. Only you." Nixie raises an eyebrow, until Deaton says gently, "I'm assuming my dear, that your role for the evening will continue to flip flop as it may be necessary, depending on where anyone else needs you for the night."

She smiles back at him after a moment, and then points and says to Scott, "I like him. He knows me so well already." Stiles rolls his eyes and says, "Great for you. As for me, on the other hand, that sounds like a lot of pressure. So can we maybe find a slightly less pressure-filled task for me?"

He feels Nixie tap him just a tiny bit on the back of the head, to which he says, "Noted. In dangerous territory of being slapped. Got it. But still…" Deaton chuckles, but then explains, "It's from the mountain ash tree… which is believed by many cultures to protect against the supernatural. This office is lined with ash wood, making it difficult for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble."

Nixie nods, and then says, "Or Peter. That's what he was talking about when he came for Scott that time. He couldn't come past the front desk. But then… how does Scott get into work every day?" Deaton nods in understanding of her question, and then simply says, "The barrier only works if it's a continuous circle. If broken at any point, it becomes useless. The swinging door on the front desk that allows people to come back is the break point for my barrier. When it's shut, the barrier is sealed. When it's open, Scott can go out any door he wishes."

Nodding again, Nixie says, "Cool."

Then Stiles says, "Okay. So, back to the subject at hand. You know, the one where I create this rather flimsy sounding barrier. So what… I just spread this around the whole building, and then neither Jackson or whoever's controlling him can cross it?" Deaton nods and says, "They'll be trapped."

Stiles still looks skeptical though, even as Scott says, "Doesn't sound too hard." But Nixie looks to Deaton's face, and then says, "Something tells me it's not exactly as simple as Stiles made it sound. What's the catch Doc?" He grins approvingly at her, and then says, "Think of it like gunpowder. It's just powder until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark, Stiles."

"If you mean light myself on fire, I don't think I'm up for that." And Stiles just grins when he gets a slightly sterner slap on the back of the head. He'd expected it after saying that, but he couldn't pass it up. Besides, he wasn't entirely sure he understood yet just what Deaton was trying to tell him he needed to do, aside from spread the ash around the building.

Deaton chuckles at him, and then says, "Let me try another analogy. I used to golf. And I learned that the best golfers never swing before first imagining where they want the ball to go. They see it in their mind, and their mind takes over." As Stiles takes on a more understanding look at this analogy, Deaton nods and says, "It can be pretty extraordinary what the force of your own will can accomplish."

Stiles nods, but though he seems to better understand what he needs to do now, he still doesn't look very confident when he says, "Force of will." Deaton catches his eye again and says, "If this is going to work Stiles, you have to believe it."

Stiles makes the motions, same as Deaton did, about 'believing it'. Nixie can tell he's still unconvinced though… until Deaton says, "If you need an example of just how powerful the force of will can be when you believe enough… I suggest both you boys simply look at the woman standing between you."

It takes Nixie a minute to realize he's talking about her. She'd actually turned around, as though she thought maybe someone else had come in the room while they were talking and Deaton was referring to her. But upon finding no one there, she turned back and found Stiles and Scott both looking down at her.

Blinking in confusion, she then looks at Deaton and asks, "Me? Why me?" "Why do you think you have the power to intimidate anyone you look at with what I'm told are the most piercing eyes anyone has ever seen? Why do you think Stiles and Scott… or any of your friends suddenly feel better when you tell them it will be alright in the end? Why do you think even adults sometimes look to you for answers or solutions to given situations that otherwise seem impossible? Why do you think that, even Derek, though he hasn't really tried to change yet, doesn't enjoy the fact that what he's trying to accomplish makes you so angry at him?"

Nixie shrugs to all of that, but Deaton just smiles and says, "Force of will. And the force you exert is a powerful and overprotective one. When Scott and Stiles are in trouble, they turn to you, and you tell them that it'll be alright or that you'll make it go away. And you believe that you can… so much so that they believe it right along with you. As for Derek and his pack, he does truly believe most of the time that he's trying to do the right thing… until he looks at you. Until he sees that you don't agree with him… because you believe that your way is the right one. Believe it so fully that it makes him and those that are with him wonder if they truly are in the right, to be doing what they're doing."

Standing up straighter, Deaton adds, "And I haven't forgotten how Chris came in here and was about to threaten me to examine the dead hunter he'd brought in with him. And he wouldn't have felt any worse about it… except you were there, and made him feel like he was terrible for being willing to threaten me at all." "Well, he should've been! That was just stupid!"

Deaton grins at her, and as she glances between her two boys again, she says, "Oh, stop looking at me like that. It's not like any of this is new information. You are both mine, and hell will freeze over before I let anything bad happen to either of you." Then to Stiles, she says, "And you just need to believe that this shit will work. Think of it like the pixie dust in Peter Pan. All you have to do is think happy thoughts, and then have faith that it's going to make you fly."

Stiles simply counters, "Yeah, comparing this stuff to you, as a force of will and nature, definitely worked better than comparing it to a make-believe kid show with fairies and dust that makes people fly." "Oh shut up. I'm still right. Now help me grab this stuff and let's go. We're on the clock here people. Move out."

* * *

As Nixie and Scott join Stiles at the back of the jeep later, Scott asks, "You okay?"

And Nixie knows it's bullshit when Stiles says, "Yeah, why?" So she gives him a look and says, "Because I made several comments on the way here, and you did not sarcastically comment back to me at all. You literally said nothing the entire way here. Not a damn thing." Stiles looks to her, and then gives a sincere apologetic look before saying, "Look, I'm fine. Just… focusing on believing I'm gonna fly, and all that crap."

Nixie does grin at that, and then Stiles says to Scott, "Just help me grab the other bag." But Scott says, "I can't. Remember, Deaton said you have to do it alone." Stiles huffs and says, "Okay, this plan is really starting to suck."

Nixie moves to stand next to him, about to comment that it already sucked before they'd even gotten here. But then Scott tilts his head sharply before saying, "No. Not here, not now!" He's about to take off into the building, but then he glances back and asks, "Nixie? You coming?" And with how worried he'd just gotten… she thought for a second maybe she should.

But Stiles… still wasn't completely Stiles. He was worried, immensely, about something. And whether he actually felt like he wanted to talk right now or not… he needed to talk to somebody. So instead, she says, "I'm gonna stay here, at least until Stiles finishes this. Don't worry! I won't actually touch the magic fairy dust. I'm just… gonna provide emotional and moral support. Go Scott. Keep me posted." "Alright."

As soon as he's gone and Stiles starts circling the building with the ash, he glances up at Nixie and says, "You're not just here for moral support, are you?" "You are a very astute and intelligent individual my dear friend." "I don't want to talk about it." "But you need to. And whatever's wrong, I can fix it." "Nixie… I know Deaton just called you a prime example of the 'force of will', but I don't think even you can fix this one."

Frowning deeply, she then says softly, "You can't know until you tell me what's wrong." He looks at her again, and then focuses on the ash again before finally saying, "Dad got fired." "What?! Why? On what…" "He said that it was believed that the son of the police chief stealing police property and having a restraining order didn't reflect well on the station."

They walk in silence for a moment, and then Nixie asks, "Is he actually fired yet?" "No. Well, he said no. He said it was temporary. But he also told me that they didn't say it was temporary." Nixie nods, and then says, "Which means they also haven't said it's permanent yet either."

Stiles looks up to see the wheels turning in her head, and he stands up straight for a moment and says, "You're actually trying to figure out how to fix this, aren't you?" "Of course I am. Noah's mine too. Maybe not in the exact same capacity that you and Scott are mine, but he's mine nonetheless. And I will fix this."

Back into her own thoughts, she says, "How is still a mystery, but I will figure it out." Stiles grins at her, and then just says, "Do me a favor and walk on the inside of the circle." "Why?" "Because while you're on this side with me, I feel like you're helping me more than Deaton would like. If you're inside while I'm still outside, I feel more like I'm doing it myself. And that you are actually just here for moral support."

Nixie shrugs and does what he says, and then they walk around the building in silence while Stiles spreads more of the ash.

They're about three-fourths of the way done, when Nixie's phone starts vibrating. And even as she makes to grab it from her pocket, it keeps on vibrating, so Stiles glances up at her and says, "That can't be good. You just got like three text messages all at once."

Nixie gives him a look and says, "Just keep pouring Stiles." Swiping across her phone for the messages, she reads Scott's first, which says, _"Alison is here. Gerard and Chris are coming. They know it's Jackson. Keep an eye out and be careful."_ Nixie sighs, and then swipes across to read the next one, which is from Alison and says, _"When you told me you were working on a plan, I didn't think it meant here and tonight! Please tell Scott I'm sorry!"_ Nixie sighs again and mutters, "Scott, what did you do to her?"

Then she opens the next one, which is from Scott again and says, _"I gave the needle to Isaac. He knows what to do. And don't worry. I told him to be careful and to not get hurt."_ Nixie nods to that one, and then sends one back to him that says, _"If you're coming back out here, you should hurry. Stiles is almost done with the barrier."_

Then she reads the last one, which is from Derek, and says, _"Keep away from the south side of the building."_ Frowning, she asks aloud, "Which side of the building are we on?" Stiles, still focused on the ash he's spreading, says, "West. Heading for the north. Why?" "Derek just told me to stay away from the south. Not sure…"

But as the gunshots begin firing from that direction, Nixie glances back, and then says, "Ah. That would be why. Looks like the Argents are already here." "The Argents?! What the hell?!" "I'll explain later. Keep pouring Stiles."

Then she shoots a message back to Derek that says, _"You had damn well better not die on me. If you do, I will kick your ass."_

Then she gets another from Scott that says, _"I'm out."_ Nodding, she texts back, _"Argent's already here. Be careful Scott."_ He sends a thumbs up back as his response, and then Nixie lifts her attention to Stiles when he says, "Oh no. Call Scott. Nixie… call Scott right now." "What? Why?" "Because this is all that's left and… look!"

He shows her the handful of ash he has left, and then points to the near fifty-foot gap that is still left between where he started and where they're now standing. Nixie glances back and forth between the hand of ash and then the starting point, and sighs before saying, "Well, shit."

Stiles nods, and then grabs her phone from her and then presses one on the speed dial. She snatches it back from him though and asks, "What are you doing?" "Calling someone! Scott's one on speed dial right?" "I don't use the speed dials because I can never figure out which number to use for any of you people. And I'd never remember all of them, so it's easier to just punch in the numbers."

Okay, not the exact truth. She did have speed dials set up. Stiles was number five, because that was the middle of the numbers and it's where her thumb went to naturally and easiest. She was always calling Stiles, so it made sense for his number to be easiest to reach. Scott was seven, because it was a lucky number and she figured he needed it since he was a werewolf now. Alison was eight, because it was right beside seven, which is where Nixie figured Alison should be since seven was Scott. Lydia was two, because Lydia liked being at the top. Melissa and Noah were three and four. Derek was six. And Isaac, because Nixie liked him best out of the rest of the pack so far, was number nine, the only remaining number she had left to assign a speed dial too.

Number one, however, the very number that Stiles had dialed first, was the number for Eichen house. It had been speed dial number one since the first day her mother had been sent there to stay, and it would remain number one until the day her mother was let back out.

Stiles didn't need to know that though. So she lied.

She punches in Scott's number for him and then hands him the phone. And when it goes to voicemail, Stiles huffs and says, "Scott, pick up. Pick up now." Nixie listens to him ramble on about the magic fairy dust and how there isn't enough so he needs help. Then after he hangs up and tosses the phone back to her, he says, "Nix, this can't work. It… It just can't. It's physically not possible."

He stops though, and turns to her when Nixie says calmly, "It should also be physically impossible for Scott to sprout fangs and claws and glow his eyes a bright gold. But it isn't." Glancing at the gap again, Nixie says, "Mountain ash is a protector against the supernatural. So, in a sense, that kind of makes it a supernatural element. So… maybe it can work like actual fairy dust. You just have to believe that it can work Stiles, that it is possible. Just use your imagination."

Stiles ponders that a while, and then grins before pointing out the bumper sticker on a car. Nixie glances at it to see the Einstein quote, 'Imagination is more important than knowledge.' Nixie grins too and then says, "Well, if he said it…" Stiles chuckles, and then takes a breath before closing his eye, imagining the dust working and filling in all the space that's left.

Nixie, for her part, even though she was watching, has no idea how it suddenly happened. One moment, the gap was there. Then she blinked, and as Stiles ran out… the gap was gone. Stiles, for his part, sighs in defeat before even looking to see what happened, but then Nixie says, "Stiles… look!"

He looks down with her to see the circle complete, and then jumps over to her and says, "YES!" Nixie laughs when he wraps her up in a hug and actually picks her up a little off the ground. Setting her down, he sighs in relief and says, "Yes! Yes, that was awesome!" "Damn right. Now, let's go see if Isaac and Erica have Jackson under anesthesia yet."

When they open the door to the back room that Derek had told them Jackson would be taken to, Stiles jumps back and says, "No, no, no! It's me! And Nixie! Don't freak!" Erica glances over at Nixie, and then backs up so they can get into the room.

Jackson is slumped over in a chair at this point, to which Stiles asks, "Is he okay?" Isaac shrugs and says, "Well, let's find out." But as he makes to slash across Jackson's unconscious form, Jackson's arm shoots up and his hand grips Isaac's forearm in a vise. Nixie can literally hear the bones cracking and snapping in Isaac's arm.

When he finally manages to pull away, Nixie pulls him closer and then rolls up his sleeve to look at the damage. Bruises are forming and his arm is clearly broken in a couple of places at the moment. Giving him a stern look, she says, "Do not growl or do anything loud right now." Then she sets them back in place, and while Isaac grits his teeth and his eyes begin to glow, he stays quiet. Nixie nods to him, and then to everyone she says, "No one does anything even remotely close to being like that again, alright? Not any of you."

Isaac nods, but then adds, "I thought the ketamine was supposed to put him out." Stiles sighs and says, "Yeah, well, apparently this is all we're going to get. So let's just hope that whoever's controlling him decided to show up tonight." Erica nods at Stiles, but then they all jerk back around to Jackson when he says in a monstrous tone, "I'm here. I'm right here with you."

For a moment no one moves. Then Stiles makes to take a step closer, maybe to question Jackson… or whoever it was that was talking through him.

Erica and Isaac both watch as Nixie grabs him by the back of his collar and drags him back though. Giving Stiles a wide-eyed look, she asks, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" "I'm gonna talk to him." "Like hell you are. Stay here. And you…" She points at Erica now, and then points to Jackson and says, "He so much as looks like he's about to get up and do anything unsavory, you haul his ass out of here to some place safe."

Erica just nods, to which Stiles looks at both werewolves in shock before asking Nixie, "And what about you?!" Nixie shrugs, but at Stiles narrowed gaze that tells her she had better damn well come up with a better answer than that, she looks back to Isaac and says, "You grab me." Isaac nods, and then Nixie steps a little closer to Jackson.

Wary of him, since she knows it's not actually Jackson they're dealing with, she asks, "Jackson… you in there?" In that same monstrous tone, he answers, "Us. We're all here." Nixie glances back at Stiles and whispers, "So he's like Legion. Fucking fantastic."

Back to Jackson, she asks, "So… are you the one killing people? Is that who I'm talking to?" "We are the ones killing murderers." Nixie nods and asks, "So all the people you've killed so far…" "Deserved it."

Taking a breath, Nixie turns her head to the side to hear Stiles when he says, "Mention the rule to him Nix. See how he reacts." Nodding, she turns back and says, "We have a rule book… um, Jackson… that says you only go after murderers." His answer is most definitely not reassuring when he says, "Anything can break if enough pressure's applied." Nixie nods and says, "That doesn't mean it should be though. Things sometimes get out of hand… out of our control… when we break the rules that are set in place to keep us safe."

No response, save maybe Jackson tilts his head just slightly more in her direction, as though intrigued by her train of that. Then she asks, "So… alright, so the people you're killing are all murderers then?" Jackson nods his head once and then says, "All. Each. Every one."

Nixie takes a breath and mutters to herself, "Getting creepier by the second." Then she says louder, "Okay. So… who did they murder?" "Me."

Blinking in confusion, she asks, "Wait, what? What do you mean?" "They murdered me." Nixie's eyes widen as Jackson's eyes begin to shift into those of the reptilian-like kanima that he always becomes. Then she gasps slightly when two hands grab her waist. Isaac lifts her like she were nothing more than a paper weight, and hauls her back from where Jackson's sitting, and then puts her behind him and stands in front with Erica as Jackson says again, "They murdered me!"

Then his body starts functioning again, and as Nixie sees the clawed hand being raised to rest on Jackson's thigh, she nudges Stiles and says, "Not good. Definitely not good!" "Right. More ketamine guys. The man needs ketamine."

But Isaac pulls the bottle out of his pocket and says, "We don't have anymore." Stiles jerks to look at him, and then asks, "You used the whole bottle?! What the…" Nixie just slaps the bottle down and says, "The whole bottle didn't even fully incapacitate him Stiles. We'd need, like, a whole liter of the stuff to apparently knock him out for more than five minutes at a time."

Erica then taps Stiles shoulder, and then turn to see Jackson standing up, half covered in scales, and looking quite murderous. Nixie stares at him for a second and gulps, because if he was about to attack them, they were in seriously deep shit.

"Erica." She glances back at Nixie, who then asks, "Remember what I said?"

It only takes her a moment to think about it, and then Erica grabs Stiles and sprints with him out of the room. Isaac grabs Nixie as well, even though she'd clearly been ready to move on her own, and then hauls her out of the room too. Stiles and Erica slam the door shut behind them and as Nixie and Isaac move to help them hold it shut, Stiles says, "Okay, find something to move in front of the door."

At which point Jackson, completely wolfed-out… or kanimaed-out, if you'd rather call it that… simply breaks through the metal wall of the room he'd been in. Nixie stares after his disappearing form, and then says, "Not good. So very not good. Out. Everybody out. And I mean of the building. Not just this room. Let's go."

They all hurry towards an exit door, Stiles and Nixie actually reaching it first, remarkably. Nixie waits for them just outside while Stiles hurries over to his jeep where Derek is running to meet them. Stiles sighs and says, "So… we kind of lost Jackson inside. But, it's okay because…"

Nixie sighs as Erica and Isaac appear and comes towards her. But her relief is short-lived, because both look at the barrier on the ground worriedly. They can feel it now that they're closer. They can feel the energy preventing them from leaving. Isaac moves closer to it, even reaches out a hand, but can do no more than that.

Nixie glances back down at Derek, on the other side of the barrier, and then looks to Isaac and Erica again. Erica looks at her and says, "You should go. We'll be…" "Don't say fine! That's exactly what people say right before they aren't fine. And I'm not leaving while you two are still stuck in here."

And Stiles makes an annoyed sound in his throat when Nixie adds, "Hell will freeze over first." When Derek looks at Stiles in confusion, Stiles first says, "Okay, first of all, I did that. The barrier thing… I did that. How awesome am I?" Then he sighs and gestures to Nixie and says, "She said hell would freeze over. Meaning it doesn't matter what we say. Short of one of us coming close to being murdered, she's not budging from inside of there. Danger to herself be damned."

Nixie starts pacing, looking at her phone, waiting for Alison, Scott, or even Chris or anyone to text her again with more information about what's going on. But nothing. Huffing, she dials Scott's number, but he doesn't answer. She calls him again, but still nothing. After the third time, when it reaches voicemail, she says through her teeth, "You had better be dying if you're going to ignore all of my calls. Where the hell are you?"

And that's when she jerks her head to the side, hearing a weak and pained howl coming from somewhere inside the building.

Derek, for his part, stares at her in confusion. Because he heard it. He was the alpha. He was supposed to hear it. But he has no idea how in the hell she managed to hear it too.

Not that it matters. She doesn't wait to try and explain to anyone else. She takes off back into the building, ignoring Derek as he shouts, "Nixie wait!" Back to Stiles, Derek says, "Break it." "What? No way!" "Scott's dying!" Stiles jerks back and asks, "Okay, what? How do you know that?" "Stiles! I just know! What the fuck do you think Nixie is going back inside for?! Now break it!"

Stiles hesitates a moment longer, but then bends down and breaks the line. It's only a small space that's no longer filled… but just like Deaton said, any break in the line would do. Derek crosses over easily, and chases after the growl, and after Nixie. He was half hoping that he'd find Scott before she did, so she wouldn't also be in danger.

But he knows how unlikely that is. Nixie had almost a sixth sense when it came to finding the people she'd claimed. Sure, she usually used GPS or some other bit of information to find them. But… being this close… Derek didn't doubt that she was somehow sprinting in a direct bee-line for wherever Scott was being held and dying.

When Nixie breaks into the room, she gasps and says, "Scott!"

Running over and falling down next to him where he's lying on the ground, she asks, "What's happening? Scott, get up! You have too…"

Scott glances at her weakly, but then manages, "Nix… look out." She glances up to see Victoria with a dagger in her hands. The woman… the woman had lost her mind. Not only was she trying to kill Scott… but she was, at this point, willing to kill Nixie as well.

Nixie raises her arms to block the attack. It was likely she'd get stabbed in one of her arms before she could actually start fighting back from her position on the ground. But at least she'd be able to get Scott out, and then she could figure out what to do about the stab to her arm.

But the stab never comes. Derek appears in the room seconds later and upon seeing Nixie on the ground, beneath Victoria and her dagger, he snarls loudly and lunges forward, grabbing the arm holding the dagger and ripping it back through the air. He shoves Victoria across the room and into the wall. Then he feels it. The wave of nausea and exhaustion from whatever was filling the air.

And as Nixie again tries to convince Scott to move, Derek says, "Wolfsbane. Nixie… he can't." She glances up at him, and then to Victoria who is standing back up. "Derek!" He looks back at the women, and then growls before saying, "Get him out of here Nixie."

As the two begin to fight, Nixie drags Scott's body across the floor and out of the wolfsbane filled room. She tries to drag him further away, to a door or something, hoping against hope that she can get him out before someone else sees him.

She can't carry him though, and as other people begin approaching, maybe wondering what she's doing, she bends down to Scott again and says, "You have to get up. I know you hurt and I know it sucks… but you have to get up. I can't…"

Derek tugs on her shoulder to make her stand up, and then he bends down and grabs Scott. Tossing the unconscious boy over his shoulder, he then reaches out for Nixie's hand and says, "Come on. We need to get out of here."

She takes his hand and lets him drag her along with him. And when that apparently isn't fast enough for him, she lets him scoop her up in his free arm and he sprints with both of them out of the building. Derek literally runs them back across town, back to the clinic, where he drops Nixie back to her feet and says, "Open the door and break the barrier. I need to get him inside."

Deaton is already there of course, and as soon as Nixie opens the gate on the front desk, she says, "Back door."

When Deaton opens it, Derek carries Scott in and lays him down on the examination table. Taking a breath, Derek then simply says, "Help him."

Normally, Nixie would argue that Derek could say 'please' or at least show a little gratitude. Instead though, she simply says it for him. "Please." Deaton gently runs a hand over her hair and says, "Don't worry. He'll be fine. I'll see to it."

Then he looks over at Derek and says, "You would actually be in worse danger than he is. You have a bullet wound." "It'll heal." "Not if you don't get the bullet out. Let me…" "Take care of Scott first."

Deaton would argue against that. Scott would be fine, he was sure of it. But then Nixie rounds the corner and says, "I can do it. Just… show me where the equipment is. I can get it out." Deaton grabs what she needs, and then says, "It's going to hurt him. If he…"

And Derek smiles a little when Nixie says, as though it were simple fact, "Derek won't hurt me. It'll be fine. Just tend to Scott. I've got this."

It does hurt, but as far as things go, Derek thinks it hurts far less that it could've. Nixie takes her time and is extremely careful in her extraction of the bullet. And after that, she cleans out the wound as best she can with what Deaton provides her, and then bandages the wound as well, even though she knows it'll be healed in a few hours.

When she's finished, she asks, "How's Scott?" "I've removed the wolfsbane from his system. He's simply sleeping it off now. He'll be fine. As promised." Nixie nods, and is about to turn and say thank you. But Derek beats her to it, and Nixie even smiles at the gentle and grateful tone he uses when he says, "Thank you." Deaton nods to them all, and then exits the room for a while.

Derek then looks up at Nixie, and then asks, "How's Stiles?" Looking up from her phone, which had been vibrating non-stop since they'd gotten here, she says, "He's fine. All he keeps asking is where the hell we ended up. And somewhere in here he told me that he's heading home so his dad isn't suspicious about where he's been later."

Putting it back in her pocket, she asks, "How are you?" "Fine, now that the bullet's out." He then takes a breath and says, "I… I bit her." Nixie blinks and then asks, "Who?" "Victoria. I… I bit her. I didn't even really mean to. She just… she left me no choice."

He expects anger… or something. Instead, Nixie just nods and says bitterly, "She asked for it." Derek looks up at her in concern, and then asks, "You alright?" "I'm fine. Why?" "I thought you'd be angry at me, not her." Nixie looks to him again, and then glances at Scott before saying, "She tried to kill my boy. I don't care if she's Alison's mom or not. That doesn't give her a pass on that point."

Back to Derek, she says, "You've killed her. I mean… you only bit her, but she's probably going to kill herself or something like that… right?" Derek nods, and then Nixie says, "You killed her. But if you hadn't already… I would've seriously tried to do it myself."

And then, to try and lighten the mood, she says, "Would've taken a whole lot more planning on my part though. Would've had to come up with a whole other process so I could end up getting away with it too. So good job."

Derek watches her a moment more, and then says, "I am sorry." "For what?" "I know she tried to kill your boy. I get that."

Nixie nods, and then ducks her head when Derek says, "Doesn't mean you don't still care. She's still Alison's mom. I know what that means to you. So… I'm sorry."

Silence reigns for a moment, and then Nixie finally says softly, "Yeah. Me too."

* * *

Chapter 8! Yes! Chapter 9 should follow shortly. Hope you guys are still enjoying everything. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

Not really a warning, just a side note. This is the shortest chapter for this season. I did manage to write one relatively short one. I didn't realize while I was writing for this season that it had become so long. Good grief!

Okay, I'm done with my brief little rant. Sorry for interrupting. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9: Episode 2x9

Nixie would've gone with Derek and Scott that night… except Alison texted her, saying, _"Need to talk to you. Now!"_

So here she was, in Alison's driveway, waiting for her to return home. The house was remarkably quiet for a place that was supposed to have three other people living in it right now… not to mention all the other hunters that probably should've been coming and going from the place.

But… that all probably has something to do with Alison's mom being bitten. Which is probably what Alison needs to talk to her about? Maybe she thinks Nixie can confirm whether or not it was Derek… the alpha, or not. That would probably be something that they would definitely want to know.

Nixie honestly isn't looking forward to this conversation, so she rolls her neck when Alison pulls into the drive. Bracing herself for the line of questioning, prepared with a long line of explanations to go with anything Alison wanted to know… Nixie draws up short when Alison says, "Matt is… I think he's obsessed with me."

It takes Nixie a moment to retrain her line of thinking. Because Alison did look distraught… but not like a daughter who knew she was about to lose her mother so soon after already having lost her aunt. Alison didn't look that heartbroken. She just looked scared.

Taking a breath, Nixie says, "Explain. What did he do?" "He… I was driving him home. And honestly… everything was going okay. I… he kissed me tonight, but he apologized for it afterwards. And he left in an okay mood and I thought we could just, you know, at least be friends still. But then…"

Alison takes a breath and then says with tears welling up in her eyes, "He… he left his bag in my car. And I… I picked it up… I was going to honk and get him to come back for it. But I pulled out his camera by mistake. And I shouldn't have looked… I shouldn't have… but I did. And it was okay at first. He had some lacrosse pictures and they were good and I was thinking that he was really talented. But then…"

Nixie waits for what the terrifying part is, and then freezes when Alison says, "Then he has pictures of me. Which would've been okay too… except he has a lot. And I don't just mean in school. I think he was following me at one point. He has pictures of me outside studying by myself. He has pictures of me in town. He… he has pictures of me while I'm in my room reading. In my room! Which means he was on my roof in the middle of the night, taking photos of me! And I didn't even notice! I…"

Nixie steps up to her and wraps her in a hug. Squeezing her tight, Nixie says, "I can kill him if you like. That'll make it stop for sure." Alison actually laughs a little and hugs Nixie back. Then she laughs some more when Nixie says, "I'm not sure why you're laughing. I'm serious. I'll add him to the list. In fact, I'll put him at the top. And considering we have a kanima to deal with, that's saying something."

Alison nods, and then sighs in relief and says, "I just… I needed someone to talk to about it. He's… he's harmless, I'm sure." But Nixie doesn't get the sense from her tone that Alison actually is sure. So instead of leaving to go and find Scott and Derek again, when Alison pulls back and asks what she's doing, Nixie shrugs and says, "Right now… trying to decide where I want to sleep tonight. I think it's a tie between whether I should stay with you or Stiles tonight, considering I've stayed at Scott's for a few days now. What do you think?" "I obviously want you here. But I'm sure you have your own methods of deciding whose house you should be at the most." Nixie shrugs and says, "Sometimes. And sometimes I just draw straws."

When Alison raises an eyebrow, Nixie says, "You know what I mean. Anyways… can I stay here?" "Of course. Come on. We can get a little extra studying in for the history test we have when we go back from spring break."

And Alison laughs again when Nixie groans and says, "You do know how to ruin a perfectly good evening, don't you?"

* * *

Scott's keeping her posted about whether or not he has eyes on Jackson yet. Derek is preparing his pack of wolves for the full moon later tonight.

But since there isn't anything else currently happening that she can help with in the supernatural realm of things, Nixie sticks with Alison. Which is also good because in the middle of their studying, Lydia shows up with three bags from Macy's. Smiling like a kid at Christmas, Lydia says, "Both of you clear your schedules. This could take a while."

Nixie immediately closes the history textbook she was reading, and when Alison gives her an amused look, Nixie simply says, "As much as I'm opposed to fashion… I hate history so much more. So yes. I quit. Let's look over all of Lydia's fabulous outfits. Several times in a row if she deems it necessary." Lydia grins at her and says, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." "Good."

As Alison turns to see Lydia too, she asks, "How many outfits are you planning on wearing tonight?" "It's my birthday party. I'm thinking host dress, evening dress… and then after-hours casual." Nixie nods, and then points out, "You didn't send out any invites though. I mean… obviously I know your party is happening. But nobody got an invitation." Alison nods in confusion along with Nixie.

Nixie doesn't miss the slightly tenser tone Lydia uses when she says, "Biggest part of the year you guys. Everyone knows." Narrowing her eyes at her friend, Nixie can't decide if something isn't right… or if something isn't right. You know… like if this is a problem on more of a normal, teenage issue scale. Or if this is somehow a supernatural bite related problem.

Alison, on a different train of thought, asks, "I was wondering if maybe this year things… you know, might be different." Lydia, focusing on her clothes and still in a tense voice, asks, "Why would anything be different?" Alison shrugs but says, "Just cause things have been off lately. Things and people. Like Jackson."

The instant shift in Lydia's mood is so apparent then Nixie stands up from where she'd been leaning against the desk. She couldn't explain it… but something was off with Lydia. Well, something had been off from the beginning, ever since she'd been bitten by Peter. But it was more pronounced now… somehow. Nixie's not sure how or why… but she's sure of it.

Lydia asks, "What do you care about Jackson?" Nixie glances at Alison, who apparently doesn't notice just how dangerous of a tone Lydia is using. Because instead of simply changing the subject, Alison tilts her head and asks, "Do you know if he's coming?" Lydia continues to stare at her hard and says, "Everyone's coming."

Nixie narrows her eyes at Lydia, trying to figure out why that in particular is so important. Lydia had thrown parties each year, and each year everyone came. But… it had never really mattered. Lydia had honestly never cared if everyone that she invited showed up. Enough people always showed up to make her party the talk of the town for a whole month.

But this time… this time it sounded as though if everyone didn't show up… Lydia would freak the hell out.

Sensing the rising tension, Nixie steps up and adds in, "Also we know Jackson has still been acting like a giant ass about everything lately. Weren't sure if he was going to try and commit social suicide by not showing up or not too." Lydia glances at her, and then smiles a little while saying, "Well, if he wants to keep his status as most popular player on the lacrosse team, I guess he'd better show up." Nixie nods to that, and then asks, "So… what do we have here?"

Lydia picks up a dress and beams while saying, "This one's American Rag. Mm…. I love it." Then she adds in for Alison, "For me… not you. This one's Material Girl. That's for you."

Lydia goes digging through the bag again, but before she pulls anything out, a knock comes on the door.

Alison turns to her mother, so she doesn't see Nixie from the other side of her bristle and immediately frown at the woman. Victoria darts her eyes to Nixie, not missing the new-found hatred that is held there in her piercing blue eyes.

But then Victoria turns back to Alison and asks, "Alison… can I grab you for a moment… to talk? Just the two of us." Nixie glances over at the bags and dresses on the bed, and finds herself pleased when Alison says, "Um… can we do it later?"

It was probably very cruel that Nixie was happy that Alison couldn't make time to speak with Victoria right now… but Victoria had tried to kill Scott. So Nixie didn't feel all that bad about it.

Victoria rubs her shoulder where she was bit as she says, "Actually, to be honest, sooner would be better."

For the benefit of giving Victoria a time table, Nixie says, "Party's at ten." Nodding to Nixie, Alison's mom then asks, "Um… you'll be around… before then?" Alison, glancing at Lydia and the bags again, says, "I think so." "You think so." A little annoyed now, Alison says, "I don't know."

Then she turns back to Lydia, who is holding up another dress and asking, "You think so?" Alison looks over at the dress, which is a shining and sparkly dress with black, white, and red stripes. And as Lydia snaps her eyes over at Nixie, Alison understand that Lydia is asking if she thinks Nixie would even consider wearing it.

Alison's look of sheer disbelief tells Lydia that she would be asking too much of the girl who already hated skirts and dresses in general. "Well, it does have black in it…" Alison just shakes her head, and as Lydia looks at it again, she laughs and says, "No… it's too much."

Alison then grabs the dress that's meant for her and says, "I think I like this one though." "Yeah, you do?" "Yeah. What do you think?" "I like it. Yeah, I do." Lydia then holds up a necklace to it that could be worn with it, and then Alison says, "By the way, Happy Birthday!"

Nixie smiles at both of them, and then says, "Happy birthday Lydia." "Thanks you guys. I actually appreciate that." They all laugh, and then Lydia pulls out one more dress. This one is navy blue, with a black sash around the waist line, and a black trim over the top. It has two thin straps for sleeves to hold it up, but otherwise looks strapless.

Alison looks down to the bottom of the dress, noting that it's not skin tight, but wavy and loose past the waistline. And judging from the length, it would at least come down to Nixie's knees, which Nixie could probably live with for the evening. Smiling and nodding, they both then turn to Nixie.

She glances between the two of them for the moment, then at the dress, and then groans before saying, "I knew I should've left earlier this morning. If I was studying with Stiles, this wouldn't have happened. I've been duped!" Lydia laughs, but then asks sincerely, "Do you… do you think you could…" Nixie looks at the dress again, and then sighs but smiles gently and says, "Fine. I'll wear the dress. But only because it's your birthday!" "Yay!"

* * *

When Stiles texts her later, telling her that the connection wasn't Harris' class, but that all of the people being murdered were on the swim team, Nixie frowns and mutters to herself, "Okay, so we've got a psychotic murderer, who is murdering other murderers, who were all on the swim team at Beacon Hills in the class of 2006. But for what? Because he can't swim?"

Sighing as she thinks back, she says, "No… because they murdered him. That's what Jackson said. But… who the hell is it? And if he was murdered… how in God's name is he alive now to control a kanima that is killing the people who supposedly killed him?!"

That particular conundrum was what was giving Nixie a headache as she sat in the passenger seat of Lydia's car. When Lydia had said she wanted to go and see Jackson, to make sure he was coming, Nixie decided she needed to come as well. For one, to make sure Jackson didn't do anything stupid, like hurt Lydia. And for second, to maybe try and make sure, somehow, that he didn't actually show up at the party.

Not that she expected to have that much influence. If the master of the kanima wanted Jackson there, then Jackson would be there, whatever threats Nixie might make be damned.

As they park, Lydia hands Nixie two Advil, and then asks, "Are you alright? Is it… is it the dress idea? Because if it's that bad, I can…" Nixie laughs before taking the pills and says, "Lydia, I don't like dresses. That being said… that's not why I have a headache. You picked a good dress, all things considered. One that I actually wouldn't mind having to wear again if the occasion ever called for it. So good job."

Lydia beams at that, and then says, "Alright, come on."

When they arrive outside the locker rooms, Nixie pauses a little further back in the hall at the look on Jackson's face. He definitely wasn't himself… at least not completely.

Nixie hurried to catch up with Lydia though, when Lydia didn't stop or pause for anything. She needed to stay close, in case Jackson did something stupid.

But when Lydia said his name… something in Jackson's gaze shifted. It was like he'd had on blinders a moment ago, and now suddenly they were gone. His eyes shifted around the room, as though wondering how he'd suddenly gotten there.

Then as Lydia touched his arm, she asked, "You're coming to my party right?" Jackson's gaze shifted down to the fingers touching his arm, and Nixie watched the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He looked as though a weight had been lifted from him, and he could finally move and breathe again.

Looking between the two of them, Jackson then says, "You don't want me there. Trust me."

It was the sincerest look Nixie has ever seen on Jackson's face. Sincere… and scared. He was himself for the moment, for whatever reason that was. And he was terrified that if he actually showed up, something terrible would happen. Hence the warning.

Lydia obviously didn't know that. She thought it was just about them, and their past relationship. And she has the same sincere expression when she says, "Don't worry about it. I'm over it. And look, Jackson, of course I want you…"

Nixie had a brief moment of panic when Jackson reached out with his other hand and grabbed hold of Lydia's wrist. But he wasn't hurting her… wasn't squeezing too tight. So Nixie stayed still behind Lydia when he reiterated, in a more alarming tone, "You do not want me there."

Lydia stares at him in confusion, and maybe a little hurt. And then when she pulls back, Jackson looks down to where they'd been touching and looks so lost. He looks like he wants nothing more than to reach out and grab Lydia again… hold on for dear life maybe.

But he balls his hand into a fist and pulls it back from her. And Nixie doesn't miss the warning look in his eyes when he shifts his gaze from Lydia to her. And Nixie knew what he wanted her to do. He wanted her to get Lydia out of here as fast as possible… away from him as fast as possible.

Nodding subtly, she gently takes Lydia's hand and says, "Come on Lydia. Let's go get ready." Lydia stares at Jackson a moment more, and then says, "I'll see you there."

Back at her car, Lydia asks softly, "Do you think he'll come?" Nixie glances over at her, and then says honestly, "I think he'll come if he can. In fact, I think he'll probably rework his schedule if he has too… in order to try and make it."

And while that thought makes Lydia happy as they drive away, Nixie frowns deeply as she watches the world go by out the window. Because though Lydia was thrilled Jackson would probably be there, Nixie knew it wouldn't really be Jackson.

If he showed up at all, it would be because his master made him. If Jackson was there, it meant that someone else was probably about to die.

Which meant Nixie's night was about to get a whole lot worse, since she wouldn't just have to be worrying about wearing a stupid dress and heels at this party.

* * *

When Nixie joins Lydia at the door the next time the doorbell rings, she can't help but start laughing when she sees the size of the present that Stiles bought Lydia. She's not sure how he ever got it into his own house, let alone how he imagined he was going to get it inside of Lydia's.

Lydia just grinned at the whole thing, giggling a little when Stiles began trying to shove the present in the door and continued failing. Finally, she had to go and tend to the few other party guests that had already arrived. Looking at Nixie, she asks, "Do you have him?" "Oh yeah. We'll figure this out. Go be the hostess with the mostess." Lydia laughs again and walks away while reminding Stiles, "Don't forget to try and punch."

As Stiles continues to struggle with the box that is at least two-thirds of his own height, Nixie rolls her eyes and then says, "Hey!" He stops shoving to look at her, and then she says, "Turn it sideways." He listens, and at the very least it'll fit in the door this way. Nixie grabs the other side closest to her and says, "Now follow me."

After they set it down with what other presents are here, Nixie asks, "What in the hell did you do? Buy all of Macy's and cram it into a box."

When Stiles doesn't actually answer her right away, Nixie turns to him and says in a wary voice, "Please tell me you didn't buy all of Macy's." "I didn't buy _all_ of Macy's. And I'm not even giving her everything I bought. I… look, when she opens it later, you'll see it. Until then, it's a surprise. Now come on. We need to find Scott, and we need to find Jackson, and we need to find Alison. Not necessarily in that order."

After they find Scott, who had already been here for thirty minutes, Stiles asks, "You see Jackson anywhere?" "No. Either of you seen Alison?" Stiles shakes his head, but Nixie says, "She's here. I was with Lydia when we let her in. We'll find her eventually." Scott nods, and then they look to Stiles when he says, "We have to so we can tell her what we found." Scott nods in agreement, but then says, "Though… I'm still kind of not sure what we found."

Stiles gives him a look and then says, "We figured out that it has something to do with water. You know, the fact that all the victims were on the swim team. And the way the kanima reacted around the pool." Scott nods, and then asks, "So… whoever's controlling the kanima really hates the swim team?" Stiles nods, though he also corrects, "Hated the swim team. Specifically the 2006 swim team. So it could be another teacher. Or maybe like a student back then."

Nixie nods, and then says, "There has to be something we're missing though. You already ran through most of those possible names and came up empty. Both among those that are still living, and those who are supposedly dead. Right?" Stiles nods, and then sighs and asks, "So what haven't we thought of yet?" Nixie shrugs, but then asks, "What about a rival school? Maybe in 2006 some other swim team was a really big competitor of ours and we beat them? Or maybe our team tried to play a really bad joke on their swim team and it went horribly wrong?"

Stiles points at her and says, "Theories. I like it. Keep em coming." "Well, unfortunately that's all I've got right now. The rest of my brain is preoccupied." As Alison moves to join them near the punch bowl, Stiles asks, "With what?" Nixie glances around as explanation of what she's focused on, and as Alison tells them, "Jackson's not here," Stiles finally gets what has Nixie worried.

Frowning at the vacant, though prettily decorated, outdoor pool area, Stiles says, "Yeah, no one's here." Nixie nods and then looks to Scott when he says optimistically, "Maybe it's just early?"

But Stiles, always one to get to the more negative, but often correct truth, says, "Or maybe nobody's coming because Lydia's turned into the town whack job." They all look around, and then Nixie sighs as she sees Lydia looking around herself in disappointment, but still with a hopeful look on her face. And maybe… maybe a slightly worried and scared expression too.

Then she turns back to Alison, who says, "Well, we have to do something. Because asides from Nixie, the rest of us have completely ignored her for the past two weeks." Scott glances at Stiles and says, "She's completely ignored Stiles for the past ten years."

Stiles jerks around to look at them at that, and then says, "First of all, I prefer to think of it as me not having been on her radar yet. And second of all, Lydia started noticing me after she became friends with Nixie. Not exactly in the 'we'll be dating and married someday' fashion that I'm set on… but she has noticed me. And we're friends now. Progress. Go with it." Nixie pats his shoulder, and then narrows her eyes at Scott when he says, "We don't owe her a party. I especially don't after the way she treated me and all of us earlier in the year."

Nixie can't really argue with the last comment, but Lydia is her friend, and Scott can feel the heat in her gaze as she stares at him, which is why he smartly keeps his head turned towards Alison. But Alison isn't on his side either, because she quickly counters with, "What about the chance to get back to normal?"

Tilting his head, Scott asks, "Normal?" "Yeah. She wouldn't be the town whack job if it wasn't for us." Nixie nods and says, "We're responsible." Scott finally looks at her again when she says that, and then out at Lydia across the pool. Sighing, he then concedes, "I guess I could use my co-captain status to get the lacrosse team here."

Stiles nods to that idea, and then looks at Nixie. But she shrugs and says, "I'm all for getting people here, but all the people I know that I can invite are already here." She gestures at the three of them, and then at Lydia. Then she concedes, "Well, and Danny, but Scott's about to get him. So other than that, I have no people to contribute to this cause. I'm already wearing a dress people. Let's not push it."

Stiles chuckles at her, and then says, "You look pretty by the way. Forgot to tell you that earlier." "Aw. Thanks Stiles." He grins, and then says, "Besides, I know some people who can get this thing going. Like… really going." Alison tilts her head curiously and asks, "Who?" "I met them the other night. Let's just say they know how to party."

Nixie looks over his shoulder to see who he's calling, and when she hears the voice on the other end of the phone, she raises an eyebrow at him and asks, "Really?" Stiles gives her a look, and after hanging up, he says, "Hey, we may not exactly agree on a sense of fashion, but other than that they happen to be a bunch of rather swell individuals. So…" "Hey, I'm not complaining Stiles. I just didn't realize you were on a basis of calling them and inviting them to parties."

And she laughs when he says, "Actually they wanted to call me and invite me to other parties that they knew about, but they understand that I don't really roll that way. I think they just enjoy massively inviting as many people as they can to go out somewhere. Anyways, they'll be here soon, and then this thing will really be a party."

* * *

Nixie catches Alison's eye from across the pool, gives her a reassuring wink, and then turns back to her boys as Stiles asks, "Are you gonna apologize to Alison or what?" Scott turns to look up at him, and then asks, "Why should I apologize?" "Well, first of all…"

Stiles waits, and sure enough, Nixie slaps Scott in the back of the head not two seconds after he said that. Smirking at Scott who glances back at Nixie in annoyance before looking back at Stiles, he then adds, "And secondly, because you're the guy. It's like… what we do."

Nixie smiles at Stiles and says, "I have trained you well." Then she looks at Scott and says, "You, however, are a work in progress." Scott gives her a look, but then says to both of them, "But I didn't do anything wrong." Stiles sighs and says, "Then you should definitely go apologize." When Scott still looks confused, Stiles gestures to Nixie and says, "She's explained this to us. Numerous times, I might add. Any time a guy thinks he hasn't done anything wrong, it means he's definitely done something wrong."

And Nixie knows that on a normal day, Scott probably would've turned to her and asked what it was he was supposed to have done wrong. Usually, he wanted to figure those things out, so he could avoid them in the future. But instead, Scott says, "I'm not apologizing."

Stiles gives him a pitying look and asks, "Is that the full moon talking buddy?" And then he catches Nixie's eyes, because she'd been about two seconds from slapping Scott in the back of the head again. But she pauses upon hearing Stiles question, and then drops her hand and sighs when Scott says, "Probably. Why do you care anyway?"

Nixie gently taps his shoulder in retribution for that question, so he turns and grins gently before asking, "What?" "What do you mean, why does he care? He and I are your two best friends. Of course we care. And on top of that, Alison is my friend. Which means I want to see her happy. Which means you and her need to make up. Sooner rather than later would be preferable too." "Noted."

Then Scott turns back to Stiles and asks, "And you?" "Because Scott! Look, something's gotta go right here. I mean, we're getting our asses royally kicked, if you haven't noticed." Nixie raises a hand and says, "I've noticed." "Thank you. People are dying Scott. And I got my dad fired." Nixie raises her hand again and says, "Temporary leave of absence."

She was still working on how exactly to fix that, and Stiles gives her an appreciative look before continuing on. "You're gonna be held back in school."

Both boys turn to look at Nixie even before she raises her hand again. Then she says, "He is going to have to take a summer class. Maybe two. But he will be in the same grade as us in the end." Scott grins at her, and then looks to Stiles and asks, "Anything else?" "Yes! I'm currently in love with a nut job." Nixie gives him a look and says, "Girl suffering from PTSD. She's not crazy." "Yeah, well, according to everyone else, she is." "What do we care what they think?"

Stiles shrugs after a moment and says, "Touché. But still, you got to admit. A lot of shit is going wrong right now. And, Scott, if on top of all of that, I gotta watch you lose Alison to a stalker like Matt, I'm gonna stab myself in the face."

Nixie is about to comment that Scott wouldn't be losing Alison to Matt anytime soon, not with the severe stalker-type tendencies that Alison had found out about him and his 'photography'. But before she can, Scott stands up and says, "Don't stab yourself in the face." "What? Why not?"

Nixie raises an eyebrow, and then adds in, "Aside from the fact that it's a rather handsome face and it would be a shame to see a knife sticking out of it, obviously." Stiles grins at her, but then they both jump and move to look with Scott as he says, "Because Jackson's here."

Sure enough… he came. Which, in Nixie's opinion, either means someone is going to die, or that the person controlling the kanima is here. Neither of which is a particularly good thing to have happen right now, so it really doesn't matter. Nixie pats her boys on the shoulders as Jackson looks and stares intently in their direction. Then she says, "I'm on Lydia patrol the remainder of the evening. I'll keep an eye on Alison too if I can, but I'm counting on Scott to keep an eye on her as well. Scott focus mostly on Jackson though. And Stiles, I need you to rotate between focusing on all three."

Both of them nod at her, and in spite of the dangerous situation they are now in, both grin when Nixie then says, "And break! Go team! Go!"

* * *

Nixie isn't sure what's going on… or why. But it's happening to her too, so she's trying to think of what all four of them did tonight that was exactly the same.

But aside from arriving at Lydia party, they hadn't all four been together for the entire day. Nixie hadn't even been with Alison all day. She'd been with Lydia longer, actually, then she'd been with Alison.

So what the hell was going on? Scott was feeling strange and seeing things that weren't there. Alison had yelled for Scott and then looked as though someone had punched her in the stomach. Stiles…

Nixie was currently standing next to him by the pool. And whatever it was that he was seeing… it was bad enough to bring tears to his eyes. She knows it must be something about his mom… or maybe his dad right after his mom had died.

When he flinches and nearly falls down, Nixie grabs one of his arms and asks, "What is it Stiles?" He looks up at her, and then over to where he'd seen his father standing. But no one's there anymore, and no one is staring at him either. The party is going on as normal, as though nothing had actually happened.

Because nothing had happened.

Looking back at Nixie, he says, "Dad. I… I saw… he was here. And he… he was… he was drunk. And he said… he said it was my fault. All of it was my fault. Mom dying. His life being ruined. Nix… it's all my…" "Do not finish that sentence!"

He blinks in surprise at the stern tone of her voice, and then says, "But…" "Stiles, you did not kill your mom. A disease killed your mom. And there is nothing you or your dad could've done to prevent it. And I remember Stiles. I remember you talking to me about your dad right after that happened. And you told me that even on his worst days, he never actually blamed you. He would never do that."

Grabbing his arm more firmly, trying to ground him in some way, she says, "You imagined it, alright? It wasn't real. I don't know what the fuck's going on, or why everyone is apparently going crazy right now… but it's not real."

Stiles nods, and then says, "We need to find Scott. He…" "I know. So let's…"

"Sweetheart! Do you want to play?!"

Stiles feels Nixie's body completely freeze and then shut down for a moment. Whatever had happened to him… whatever was happening to all of them… it was finally hitting her.

Nixie slowly turned her head to the right, and at the other end of the pool from them, was none other than Naomi Bennett. Eyes with nearly an identical shade of blue as Nixie's stare at her from the other end of the patio, and then that sick and twisted smile comes across her face as the woman says, "Come on sweetheart. You know you want to play."

Nixie, for her part, says absolutely nothing. Turning away from what she knows is a hallucination, she grabs Stiles and says, "Get me out of here. We need to find Scott. We need to find him now."

Stiles wants to ask what she's seen, wants to be able to tell her like she just told him, that it's not real. That none of it is real. But the set of her gaze and tone of voice now tells him that's not an option. She doesn't want to talk about it. Doesn't want to see it. She wants it to pass and then to move on quickly, and wants to focus on figuring out why the hell they're all seeing these terrifying things. So instead of asking, Stiles just takes her hand and guides her through the masses of people, looking for Scott and Lydia at this point.

But even though it had seemed, for the moment, that he was the more put together one at the time, Stiles was still actually drunk. At least, he felt drunk. Maybe that was it. Maybe someone had spiked the punch. But with what?!

He ends up pulling Nixie down to sit next to him at a column near the steps. And when Scott finally finds both of them, he grabs two bottles of water and says, "Guys. Hey guys! Look at me." Nixie meets his gaze for half a second, and then says, "Just go away. Make all of it go away."

Sighing, he says, "I'm trying Nixie. You have to sober up, so you have to drink the water. Come on guys. I need…"

A black girl, one that none of them had ever seen before, or at least remember seeing, comes over to them and asks, "What are you doing? You want them to sober up fast, that's not the way to do it." Scott gives her a look and asks, "You can do better?" "Boy, I can do best. Grab the girl and just copy me." So Scott grabs hold of Nixie gently, and then gapes at the girl when she dunks Stiles head under the water of the pool. Then when she pulls him back up, she asks Stiles, "How do you feel?"

And Scott knows he's sober when Stiles says, "Like I might have to revisit my policy on hitting a girl, no matter what Nixie has to say about it." The girl just turns back to Scott and says, "He's sober." Then she glances at Nixie, and says, "I'm not gonna do her. She actually looks like she could hurt me. But if you need her sober, that's the best way. Just saying."

As soon as she walks off, Stiles sighs and says, "I hate to say it, but she's right. That worked. Come on. On three."

They both count and then dunk Nixie's head in the water. When they pull her back out, she takes in a gasping breath of air, and then looks between the two of them before asking, "What the actual fuck is going on?" Stiles smiles slightly, and then nods to Scott and says, "And now we have her too. Great! So what is going on?" Scott immediately says, "It's the punch. It's laced with… I think it's laced with wolfsbane."

Nixie and Stiles both stare at him for a moment, and Stiles asks, "But why would…" Nixie holds up a hand to cut him off and says, "Why isn't important right now. We need to find her first. She's been acting slightly off ever since getting bitten. She's been on edge all day. And now she's laced her punch with wolfsbane. We need to find her, and fast, and figure out what the fuck she thinks she's doing afterwards. And we need to get rid of what's left of the punch. Scott?" "I'm on it. You two look for her."

They search the whole house, even the basement and the attic, but she's nowhere. When they find Scott again, who had literally taken the entire display of punch and thrown it over a fence, Stiles says, "We can't find her. And dude… anyone who drank that crap. They are freaking the hell out."

And as people start jumping into the water of the pool, Scott says, "I can see that." Stiles then asks, "What the hell do we do?" Scott shrugs and says, "I don't know, but we gotta…"

"I can't swim!" Nixie snaps her attention to the voice, and then grabs Scott's arm and says, "That's Matt!" "Help! No! Stop! I can't swim!"

But they throw him in the water anyway, and as Nixie makes to step forward, to maybe try and pull him out of the pool herself, Stiles grabs her and says, "No, look!"

Jackson comes around to their side of the pool faster than should actually be possible, and then grabs Matt by the collar of his jacket and hauls him out of the pool with one hand. Standing him back on his feet, Jackson then turns to face the crowd, silently daring any of them to come forward and try throwing Matt in again.

Matt, completely soaked and gasping for air, glares at everyone around him and asks, "What are you looking at? Huh? What are you looking at?!"

As he approaches them to leave, he glares at Scott, Stiles, and even Nixie, and then marches past them out the door. And when Nixie turns back to see where Jackson is… he's gone too. Turning back to watch Matt's retreating form, she says, "It's him."

Scott nods, and then says, "Stay here. I'm gonna try and follow him." "But…" He turns to her and says, "Find Lydia. Focus on that. If I need you, I'll call you. Now go!"

As Scott dashes away, Nixie looks to Stiles and says, "We need to get out of here. Lydia obviously isn't here. Get your jeep and let's go." "Right."

And as the sirens begin wailing in the distance and everyone hurriedly starts trying to bail on the party, Nixie sighs to herself and says, "Fuck. This is going to be a long night."

* * *

And that's Chapter 9! Woohoo!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

Slight warning, I guess. Nixie gets particularly over protective in this chapter. Threatens life more violently maybe than she usually does. Not that Nixie threatening to hurt people at this point should be shocking to you guys. But yeah, just a heads up.

Sorry for the interruption. Continue and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 10: Episode 2x10

As Scott and Stiles are explaining to Noah that Matt is the killer, Nixie is pacing back and forth in the room behind them. Part of her mind is attuned to their conversation, ready to jump in and help them make their point if Noah still refuses to believe what they've found. They couldn't afford right now for Noah not to believe them. Nixie would swear on whatever she had to in order to make him believe they were correct.

But the other part of her mind, the one she's more focused on, is worrying about what the hell happened to Lydia. Since she clearly wasn't with Matt, Nixie hadn't been able to leave the boys alone with the kanima problem. Lydia had disappeared long before Jackson and Matt disappeared… so the two problems clearly weren't that closely related, if they were related at all.

But that still left the problem of not having a damn clue where Lydia was, or why she'd disappeared…

Or why the hell she wasn't answering her phone. Nixie had texted her twenty times, called her thirty, left fifteen voicemails, and still there was nothing. She'd tried using the GPS locator to find Lydia that way, but Lydia had apparently left her phone at home, because that was the location that kept popping up every time she entered Lydia's information in. But even so, the girl should've been home by now, and should've answered the damn thing. So what the hell was she doing?

When Noah had walked in, his first question had been what was wrong with Nixie, but Stiles and Scott shushed him and told him to just let her be for now. Both of them had already tried to talk to her while she was looking for Lydia, and both had tried to convince her that, for right now, there was nothing more they could do for her.

Both had received a glare so unfamiliar and piercing to them, that they immediately shut up and just let her continue pacing in the room. And they hadn't bothered her since.

But as Stiles tries to convince his dad that they need to look at the evidence, Noah points out specifically, "All the evidence is at the station, where I no longer work."

All three turn to look at her when Nixie comments, "Temporarily removed from office. You will work there again." Noah smiles gently at her, and then looks back at Stiles when he says, "Trust me dad, they'll let you in." "Trust you?!"

Stiles flails slightly at that, but then suggests, "Trust Scott?" Noah narrows his eyes at Scott as well, both of them having clearly been in on the prank pulled on Jackson, which is what had removed him from office in the first place.

Seeing that particular line of thought also didn't work, Stiles then turns and grabs Nixie by the arm. Pulling her closer, he asks hopefully, "Trust Nixie?"

Noah looks down at her, and then gestures to Stiles desk, which is covered in their theory about Matt. Back to Nixie, he asks, "You believe this?" "Yes. It is him. And if we can look at the evidence, I'm sure there will be something in there that helps us prove it. So please Noah. Please try."

Noah stares at her a moment longer, and then looks back at Stiles. Pointing at Nixie, he says, "Her I trust. Alright. Let's go."

* * *

Noah sighs as he looks through the footage from the hospital security cameras and says, "I don't know guys. I mean, look at this. There was a six-car pileup that night. The hospital was jammed."

Stiles sighs, but then looks over at Nixie, who has resumed pacing within Noah's office. Moving in front of her, he takes the phone from her hands and says, "I'll keep dialing. I need you over here." "But…" He leans in closer and says, "Aside from Scott's werewolf abilities enhancing his vision, you have the sharpest pair of eyes out of all of us here. I need you looking at the footage for Matt. I'll keep dialing. Please."

So Nixie moves to look over Noah's shoulder and says, "Keep going. If he came in, he had to have gone past a camera at some point."

It takes them a few more minutes, but finally Scott and Nixie both see it at the same time. Scrambling for the mouse, Scott says, "Oh, hold on! Stop! Did you see that?" Nixie nods and says, "Noah, scroll back three seconds."

He does as she asks, and then she points and says, "That one. That's him." Scott nods and says, "Has to be." Stiles hurries to join them, and then exclaims, "That's him! That's Matt!"

Noah look at all of them like they're crazy and says, "All I see is the back of someone's head." Stiles nods and says, "Matt's head, yeah. I sit behind him in history. He's got a very distinct cranium. It's weird." When Noah still looks at him like he's even crazier than usual, Nixie adds in, "It's true. Very distinct. It's him Noah."

He looks to her now, and then says, "I'm gonna need more than the back of his head." Stiles then gestures to the jacket he's wearing and asks, "Alright, that? His jacket. How many people do you know who wear black leather jackets?"

Noah is pleased with the fact that he doesn't have to say anything. This time Nixie is the one who turns to Stiles and says, "Millions. Literally. Come on Stiles." "What?! I'm trying to come up with something!"

Scott hushes both of them and says, "Can we scroll forward more? There's gotta be a shot of him coming at one of the cameras."

But as Noah scrolls forward, Nixie sighs and says, "Not it he scoped out the hospital." Glancing at her, Scott asks, "What do you mean?" "I mean how long was Jessica in the hospital before she was killed." Stiles raises his hand and says, "Two days." Nixie nods and says, "Exactly. Why wait so long to finish the job. Unless…"

Scott sighs and says, "Unless he was doing his research to make sure he wouldn't be caught. Which means he's probably purposefully avoiding looking at any of the cameras." Nixie nods, but then to offer them hope, she adds, "But we know which one he is now. Maybe he got stopped by somebody at the hospital. So that's what we should look for."

As Noah scrolls through the footage again, Stiles suddenly points out and says, "There! See? There he is again!" Noah rolls his eyes and says, "You mean there's the back of his head again. Stiles, I need more than that, I told you…" Stiles nods and says, "But okay, look! Just like Nixie said. He's talking to someone from the hospital. Who…"

Scott leans forward and says, "He's talking to my mom." Nixie nods, and then says, "Which makes this considerably easier. Call her. Now."

As Scott talks to his mom, Nixie can't help but grin when Melissa says, "Scott, do you know how many people I deal with in a day?" Scott nods, but says to the speaker on the phone, "This one's sixteen. He's got dark hair, looks like a normal teenager."

And Nixie laughs when Stiles jumps in and says, "Yeah, he looks evil!" A pause, and then Melissa asks, "Nixie? You there?" "Yep." "Any other descriptors?" "Not really. There's nothing all that unique about who he is."

Melissa sighs and says, "Look, guys, I'm sorry. But I already talked to the police about this. I told them everything I could about that day. It's…" "Melissa…"

She pauses at Nixie's voice and asks, "Yeah?" "I'm gonna send you a picture. Will that help?" Sighing, Melissa says, "Maybe." "Alright. Here we go."

After Nixie sends it, Scott asks, "Did you get it?" "Yeah." "And do you recognize him? Do you remember him?" And Nixie and Stiles high-five when Melissa says, "Yeah, I did. I mean, I remember I stopped him because he was tracking mud in the hall. Scott? What's going on?"

Scott looks up at the others, who are all excitedly anxious now. Back to the phone, he says, "It's nothing, mom. I'll explain later. I gotta go."

Hanging up, Scott then looks to Nixie and asks, "You think that's enough?" "Don't ask me! Ask Noah. He's the one who knows about all the evidence."

Noah, for his part, is already looking through the files again, until he finally finds the one he's looking for. Opening it up, he says, "Okay, we've got shoe prints alongside the tire tracks at the trailer site." Stiles beams and says, "And if they match, that puts Matt at the scene of three of the murders. The trailer, the hospital, and the rave."

Nixie grins at Stiles and says, "There's our pattern." But then they all look at Noah again when he says, "Actually, four. A credit card receipt for an oil change was signed by Matt at the garage where the mechanic was killed." Scott stands up straight and asks, "When?" Noah glances at Stiles and says, "A couple hours before you got there."

Grinning, Nixie says, "Alright, so if one's an incident." Scott adds, "Two's a coincidence." Stiles turns to his dad and finishes, "And three's a pattern, then what's four?"

Noah grins back at all of them, and then says, "Four's enough for a warrant. Alright, here's what we need. Scott, call your mom back, and see how quick she can get down here. If I can get an official I.D., I can get a search warrant. Nixie, you and Stiles go to the front desk. Tell them to let Scott's mom in when she gets here."

Stiles grabs Nixie's arm and says, "On it!"

On the way, she snags her phone back from Stiles and says, "You're still supposed to be calling Lydia." "Sorry!"

As Nixie punches in the number again, holding it to her ear, she freezes the minute she walks through the doorway. The lady up front was gone, and there wasn't a sound to be heard. Something wasn't right.

Glancing around as Stiles asks, "Hello?" Nixie then turns to the front door to see if anyone is there.

Then she finally hears a rather subtle squeak from a shoe that moved behind her. Spinning around, she comes face to face with Matt.

And the gun he's holding pointed at her forehead. Stiles turns around after that, flailing in a panic at seeing Nixie held at gunpoint. But as Matt makes to move and point the gun at him, his eyes widen in shock when Nixie grips the barrel and keeps it pointed directly at her.

Glaring at Matt, she says through her teeth, "If you so much as point the damn thing at him, I will choke you to death myself." "I'll shoot you first." "Not if you're pointing it at him. So I guess you just better keep this barrel aimed at me."

Though he would clearly like to, he doesn't argue with her logic. Instead, he simply nudges her backwards by pressing the gun harder against her forehead. She backs up into Stiles, keeping him behind her, and then Matt motions for them to go back to Noah's office. Shoving Stiles through first, Nixie walks backwards, keeping her eyes on Matt and the gun he's holding.

He suspects that if he so much as twitches it in Stiles direction, Nixie will be on him like a cheetah. And unlike the other two… well, he's actually a little worried that she'd try to take him. Noah and Scott wouldn't, he knew that much. They'd be too scared about possibly making him hurt Stiles or one of the others if they weren't fast enough.

Nixie was clearly very confident she would be fast enough. So for the time being, he knew that she was the one he needed to worry about.

Again… for now.

* * *

As Derek stands up off the floor from within his old and still crumbling house, he nearly falls directly back down into the floor. But Deaton holds him up and says, "You're gonna be weak for several hours."

Derek glances at him, then at his arm, and then finally at the floor.

Lydia showing up at the abandoned rail station had been a shock in itself. Derek was certain that no one had told her anything yet. And considering all she'd been through and seen, he was amazed that Lydia hadn't tried to force anyone to explain it all to her.

He knows though, that part of the reason she hasn't is because of Nixie. Because if Nixie was resisting telling her, then Lydia probably interpreted it as Nixie also trying to protect her from knowledge that she didn't need, or maybe wouldn't even want if she actually knew it.

So Lydia shouldn't have even known where to find him. And as far as he knew, she also shouldn't have known about the house, or about where Peter had been buried, or that through the March moon, with the power of an alpha, that Peter could be brought back to life.

But Lydia had done it. And now here he was, staring at the empty hole in the floor where Peter had burst through and made his terrifying return.

Glancing around him, Derek says in disbelief and worry, "It actually happened." Deaton nods, and knowing what Derek is worried about, says, "Don't worry. You're still an alpha." Then he adds, while putting the dog whistle back around his neck, "But, as usual, not a particularly competent one."

Derek hardens his gaze at that and asks, "Where is he?" "I wish I could tell you." And Derek can hear through Deaton's heartbeat that he's telling the truth. Growing more frustrated, he steps closer to Deaton and demands, "Then how about you tell me what you're doing here, and why you're helping me?"

The look that entered Deaton's gaze gave Derek pause. It was a superior and greatly offended look, as though Derek was completely out of line and needed to back off before he pissed off another person that he really shouldn't. And as it turns out, he was out of line, as Deaton explained, "Helping your family actually used to be a pretty important part of my life. Helping you… was a promise I made to your mother."

Derek steps back at that, taking a second to get a breath and think about his next words. Then he said, "You're the one my sister talked about. She said… you're a kind of advisor?" Deaton nod and says, "She was right. And I have some advice that you need to listen to very closely right now."

As Deaton explains that Peter, because of his physically weakened state, will come after Derek and try to convince him that Derek needs him to beat Gerard, Derek shakes his head. And as Deaton reminds him that he can't trust Peter, Derek grins wryly and says, "I don't trust anyone."

Deaton gives him a knowing look and says, "I know. If you did you might be the alpha you'd like to think you are. And unfortunately for you, the two people you should trust most… they don't trust you at all."

Derek takes a moment to think about that, even though he already knows the answer. Then he says, "Scott and Nixie." Deaton nods and says, "Indeed. They're both with Stilinski right now. You need to find them, and you need to find them as fast as you can. I've known Gerard for a long time. He always has a plan. And something tells me, it's going exactly the way he wants it to."

Derek nods, but as Deaton moves to take his leave, he pauses and then turns back to Derek. In a gentler tone, he says, "I was almost ready to give up on you Derek. Almost. But… she hasn't. Not yet." Derek gives him a confused look and asks, "Her?" "Nixie. She still has hope for you. I've seen it. She still thinks you can be a better person. And I may have only known her a short while, through Scott's descriptions more than anything. But one thing I do know for sure… she doesn't give out that kind of hope lightly. And I know it may not always seem like it, but she's very selective on who she lets into her heart… on who she decides is hers to hope and fight for."

Looking Derek up and down, he says, "So I haven't given up on you either. Yet. But you need to try harder Derek. Try harder to be the person she believes you can be."

And with that, he walks away, and he grins when he hears Derek take off out of the house and into the woods. Derek would be heading for the police station now, attempting to try and help them any way he could.

He just hopes Derek gets there in time.

* * *

As Stiles walks back into the room and his dad makes to come around the table at the sight of Nixie and Matt, Stiles hurriedly motions for him to stay still. And Noah is about two seconds away from moving anyway, until he sees Matt beginning to shift the gun and move it in his direction.

Nixie grabs it again, holding the cold steel against her skin. Through her teeth again, she says, "Same goes for either of them. You keep this on me, or you will die." Glaring back at her, he asks, "And what if I shoot you first?" "Then they will have time to get away, Noah will have time to shoot you, and you will be just as dead as I am."

It wasn't all entirely accurate or true. Nixie had no idea where Noah's firearm was at the moment, or how long it would take him to get to it. But it didn't matter, because her voice never wavered. She sounded so certain that she was correct… so Matt believed it too.

If you're going to lie… lie convincingly. Enough that you can even convince yourself it's true.

Noah then says, "Matt? It's Matt right? Matt, whatever's going on, I guarantee you there's a solution that doesn't involve a gun." Matt grins and, still holding the gun to Nixie's head, he says, "You know, it's funny you say that, because I don't think you're aware of just how right you are." Noah, still calm, says, "I know you don't want to hurt people."

Matt chuckles and says, "Actually, I wanna hurt a lot of people. You four, weren't on my list. But I could be persuaded. And one way is to try dialing somebody on your cell phone, like McCall is doing."

Nixie grits her teeth as Matt continues, "That… that could definitely get someone hurt."

He gestures for everyone to put their phones on the table, but when no one moves, even after he shouts, he looks in shock at Nixie when Stiles asks, "Nix?"

She doesn't flinch, doesn't really move a muscle. But her tone when addressing Stiles is so much gentler than her facial features that Matt honestly can't believe it came from her. But it does, and Nixie says, "Just do what he says Stiles. Put your phones on the table. Everyone."

After they do, Matt holds out his hand and says, "Yours too." "And are you planning on actually killing any of us tonight?" He blinks in confusion, but as she hands him her phone, she says, "If I get a call, it needs to be answered. I always answer. If I don't, whoever it is knows something is wrong."

Gesturing lightly at her phone, she says, "If it rings, just hang up, but then you need to send a text to whoever it was. Just say, 'Can't talk right now. What's up?' They'll text me what they need and they'll know I'll get to it later."

Matt stares at her hard, and then asks, "Why are you telling me that?" "Because anyone else that might call me isn't equipped to come here and deal with you. I don't want any more people coming here than there already are. As I'm sure you don't either."

He ends up pocketing her phone, and then makes them all move into one of the prison-cell rooms in the back. Stiles is ordered to get a pair of cuffs, and then he handcuffs his dad to a bar on the side of the room.

As Stiles and Scott begin to leave and Nixie backs out, Noah struggles against the cuff and says, "Stiles… Nix… don't…" Nixie glances at him, and then says, "Noah." He looks up at her, and she says, "It's alright. Trust me."

As Matt backs her down the hall, he smirks and says, "It's not going to be alright. You know that right?" "You're probably right. But at least Noah has a little bit of hope now." "And why should I let him keep it? Why should I…" "If you want him trying to do whatever he can to thwart your brilliant plan already, then be my guest. Fire away and piss him and everyone else off to no end. But if you'd like a little more time to think clearly, then I suggest you shut up and let me do what I do best."

Glaring at her, he asks, "And what is that?" "Making people believe that I can and will keep them safe. It's kind of my thing."

As they pass by a hall filled with the rest of the dead officers, Scott turns back to him and asks, "What, are you going to kill everyone in here?" Matt chuckles and says, "No. That's what Jackson's for. I just think about killing them… and he does it."

Back in Noah's office, Matt takes a chair and is about to sit leisurely in it. But as soon as the gun shifts towards Scott and Stiles, even though he obviously has no intention of pulling the trigger right now, Nixie's eyes sharpen and her hands ball into fists and she leans back on one foot, braced to pounce at him the second it moves an inch closer to them. So he focuses it back on her while he orders Scott and Stiles to destroy all of the evidence.

As soon as Stiles finishes deleting all the files, he says, "And we're done. So, Matt, since all the people you brutally murdered deserved it because they killed you first… whatever that means… we're good here right? I'll get my dad… you can please stop pointing the gun at Nixie, and we'll go. You continue on with our whole vengeance thing. Enjoy the kanima. We'll be happy to be rid of him."

Nixie nods to that, and for a split second, she thinks Matt actually considered leaving. There was clearly something else he wanted… something else he was here for. But he considered, for a moment, just leaving it at that. With all evidence against his destroyed, and the kanima at his disposal.

And then a car pulls into the parking lot, and all possibilities of him leaving peacefully vanish. He stands up and says, "Sounds like your mom's here McCall."

And this time, as Nixie glares and makes to assert herself closer to the gun, Matt swiftly switches it's direction towards Stiles. Nixie is this close to wanting to rush him, to knock him on his ass. But Matt quickly smirks and says, "You take one step that I don't tell you to take, and I shoot your boy right between the eyes. Scott might heal from that. I don't know. But Stiles… oh, he's dead. You willing to risk that? You willing to bet you're that fast _Nixie?"_

He says her name mockingly, and Scott sees the muscles in her neck straining from how tightly her teeth are clenched together. But she doesn't move, because for all her talk earlier, Matt was right. She couldn't risk it… not with Stiles. With Scott… maybe, and that was still a stretch. But definitely not with Stiles.

Matt smirks wider, and then says to Scott as he pleads to just let his mom go, "If you don't move, now Scott… I'm gonna kill Stiles first. And then, as insurance, I'm gonna shoot your girl in both legs so she can't do shit. And then I'm gonna kill your mom."

Scott quickly reaches forward and puts a hand on Nixie's shoulder, holding her still. She wanted to move. She wanted to throttle Matt.

But as his hand squeezed tightly, she kept herself still, and then, at Matt's instructions, walked out behind Stiles, Scott leading the way, and Matt directly behind him, walking so he faced Stiles and still held the gun to his head.

Nixie put her hand on Stiles back and whispered, "You'll be fine." "I am actually, quite seriously, more worried about you at this point. What the hell do you think you're doing? Making him keep the gun on your head so long? Are you insane?" "I'm stubborn and determined to keep you alive." "Yeah, well, my life will be a hell of a lot shittier if you die before me, so work a little bit harder on keeping yourself safe too. Got me?" "I'll give it some thought."

Then, as Scott opens the door, fully prepared to see his mother, he relaxes in relief and says, "Thank God." Nixie peeks around Stiles to see Derek standing in the doorway instead. But just as she too is about to relax and sigh in relief, Derek falls forward and into the floor, body limp and completely paralyzed.

And as Jackson finally makes his appearance, covered in scales and eyes shifting between looking human and looking reptilian, Nixie says under her breath, "Son of a bitch!"

* * *

After that, it took Matt a moment to figure out what he wanted to do next. He was certainly happy that Jackson had already taken Derek out of the equation, at least for now.

But that only meant that Nixie was still his prime concern. And sure, he could just as easily have Jackson cut the back of her neck and paralyze her too. But something told him that it would be easier for her to live with… if she knew that it had been the venom of the kanima that prevented her from saving the people she cared about.

So instead, he aimed the gun directly at Stiles again, ordered Nixie not to move, and then ordered Scott to go and grab another pair of cuffs.

When he returned, he ordered Nixie into one of the wooden chairs in the corner of the room, and then had Scott cuff her wrist to one of the arms. Smirking as she glares at him, Matt says mockingly, "Not so tough now are you?" "Come a little closer bitch. We'll see how helpless I really am."

Derek, in spite of the fact that he is paralyzed on the floor, grins at Nixie's words, and then asks to the room in general, "This is the one controlling him? This kid?" Matt bends down to look at him and says, "Well, Derek, not everyone's lucky enough to be a big, bad werewolf."

Standing up straight and turning back to the others, Matt says, "Oh, yeah! That's right! I've learned a few things lately. Werewolves, hunters, kanimas. It's like a freaking Halloween party every full moon." Gesturing at Stiles, he adds, "Well, except for you Stiles. And your girl Nixie. What exactly do you two turn into?"

Stiles glances at Nixie briefly, wondering if she would agree that there was still always time for sarcasm. And as if in answer to his question, Nixie answers, "A fucking scarecrow. But you know, it's a seasonal thing. Happens right before a big harvest." And following up after her, Stiles says, "And I'm the abominable snowman. But again, it's more of a seasonal thing."

Nixie scrambles in her seat and yanks so hard on the cuff that she starts tearing into her skin when Matt nods his head and Jackson immediately slices the back of Stiles' neck. For his part, Stiles simply slowly goes down to the ground while saying, "Bitch!"

And he lands right on top of Derek, who grunts under the new weight, and then says, "Get him off of me." Matt chuckles and says, "Oh, I don't know Derek. I think you two make a pretty good pair." Then he tilts his head and says mockingly, "It must kind of suck though. To have all that power taken away from you with just a little cut to the back of the neck. I bet you're not used to feeling this helpless."

Derek can hear Nixie yanking at the chair she's cuffed to. But since it's actually bolted to the floor, she can't even drag the chair with her to get closer to them. So first, ignoring Matt's jeers, he says, "Nixie stay still." The scraping stops, but he doesn't even have to look at her to know she's not happy about his request.

Then he looks back at Matt and says, "Still got some teeth. Why don't you get down here a little closer, huh? We'll see how helpless I really am." To which Stiles says, "Yeah, bitch."

And then… that's when another car pulls into the parking lot. And Nixie can't think of anyone else that would be coming… except for Scott's mom.

Matt knows it too, because he asks sarcastically, "Is that her?"

Scott lowers his gaze in despair, and then looks at Matt when he says, "Do what I tell you to and I won't hurt her. I won't even let Jackson near her." Stiles, still on top of Derek, shouts, "Scott, don't trust him?"

And Derek knows it's pointless to tell Nixie not to move. As soon as Matt reached down and grabbed Stiles, rolling him over and onto his back beside Derek, Nixie's scrambling started again. And Matt honestly hadn't been worried. He'd been so sure that Nixie wouldn't be able to do anything cuffed to the chair.

Bastard didn't have a fucking clue who he was actually dealing with. He'd had his foot on Stiles throat for about a second, beginning to choke him and cut off his air supply, when suddenly his other foot was yanked out from under him.

Nixie's hand was still cuffed to the chair. But the rest of her was in the floor, her leg swinging out far enough to kick Matt's away and knock him into the floor. And now that he was down, he was close enough for her to reach with her free hand.

She got in two good swings, bloodying his nose and he's pretty sure knocking out one of his teeth. That's when Jackson finally grabbed hold of her. He knew that Matt didn't actually want her paralyzed. He wanted Nixie to suffer being helpless while her body still functioned. So Jackson didn't inject her with the venom. But he did hold her up against the wall behind the chair by her throat. Choking her now, he also shoved her body upwards, forcing the cuff to dig even further into the skin of her wrist.

When it started to bleed a little, Scott begged, "Okay, just stop! Don't hurt her! I'll do whatever you say! Just let her go!"

Matt lets Jackson keep her there a moment longer, and then nods his head. Jackson drops her unceremoniously back into the chair, and as she coughs and tries to catch her breath, Stiles asks, "Nix! Nix, you alright?" "I'm fine."

Glaring at Matt, she adds, "He won't be." He smirks at her, and then says, "You're going to push it too far at some point. And then, when Jackson kills you, what are you going to do?" "Come back as a ghost and haunt your ass for all eternity. Obviously."

Matt shakes his head at her, but then says to Scott, "Uncuff her and then attach her to a chair in that room." Then to Jackson, he says, "You. Drag these two in there with her."

Once that's done and their out of sight, Matt orders Scott to follow him.

Nixie is still trying to catch her breath, feeling her throat and wondering if she'll have bruises to worry about tomorrow… when the gunshot goes off.

The new chair she's in is still bolted to the floor, so she still can't get to him. At least, she shouldn't be able to. But Derek's eyes widen when he hears the back legs literally get pulled up out of the floor.

But Nixie also cried out in pain, the cuff on her wrist digging in again. At this rate, she was seriously worried that she might lose her hand.

Melissa was screaming in horror, which Nixie knows means that she wasn't the one shot. Scott was. Which, Scott will heal from, so at least that's good news.

That beings said, Matt had just shot Scott.

If someone didn't do it before she found him again, she was going to kill him. Hell, she might even drown him herself; give a very ironic ring to his final death.

"Scott! Scott! What happened?! SCOTT!"

Nixie can hear Noah screaming at them too, asking what was going on. He started yelling at Matt too, until Matt yelled at everyone, "Shut up! Shut up! Everyone just shut the hell up!"

And then Matt yelled, "Now get up! Or I shoot her next!"

He's not sure if it was the tone with which Nixie said it, or what exactly it was. All he knows is that a terrible chill crawled up the back of his spine and stayed there when Nixie screamed back, "IF YOU SHOOT ANYBODY ELSE I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'M GONNA RIP YOUR DAMN HEAD OFF!"

Silence followed her declaration, and Derek listens as he hears Nixie continue trying to yank the chair up off the ground it's bolted to. She had the back legs already. How hard could getting the front ones be?

She's still trying, until Derek says, "Nixie, he's coming back. Sit down! Hurry!"

As they walk back into the room, Scott says, "The evidence is gone. Why don't you just go?" Matt sneers at him, until he hears Nixie from behind him say menacingly, "Before I murder you myself, you freaking idiot."

Scott gives her a look, clearly begging for her to stay quiet, at least for a little while. And he knows she's not happy about it, but when she leans back in her seat again, he knows she's doing as he asked. Matt glances at her, but then turns back to Scott and says, "You think the evidence mattered that much, huh? No, no. I want the book."

Confused, Scott asks, "What? What book?" "The beastiary. And not just a few pages, I want the entire thing." Scott shrugs his shoulders helplessly and says, "I don't have it."

Matt stares at him hard for a moment, and then turns to Nixie. Pointing the gun directly down at Stiles head, he says, "Tell me the truth. Where is the book?" Nixie stays silent for a moment, but then looks at Scott and says, "I'm sorry." Then she turns back to Matt and says, "The Argents have it. Gerard, specifically. He's the one that owns it right now. I guess because he's still technically the head of the family."

He stares at her for a moment more, and then drops the gun back to being at his side. Facing Scott again, he says, "Get it for me. I don't care how. Get it." Scott throws up his hands and asks, "What do you want it for anyway?" "I need answers." "Answers to what?!"

"To this." And as Matt lifts up his shirt, they all sees the scales running up his side. Scales that look just like the ones that cover Jackson. Scales of a kanima.

And Matt doesn't even argue or give Nixie a look when she says in shock and confusion, "What the actual hell?"

* * *

When Alison holds up her phone to her father, showing him the text demanding the beastiary, Chris says, "She wants the beastiary." Alison nods, and then says, "That's not from Nixie though." Looking up at her, Chris asks, "How do you know that? Maybe Scott asked her to contact you?"

But Alison shakes her head and says, "If it had been from Scott's phone, I might've been willing to believe there was nothing more to it. Maybe. But Nixie… Nixie would've never asked me to come on such little information. You should see the texts she sends sometimes. It's like she's writing a novel. She would've given me explicit details on what she needed and why and what else was going down."

Glancing back at the simple two sentence text message, which stated that they needed the beastiary to help Derek figure out something about the kanima, Alison reiterates, "It's not Nixie. Which means someone has them?" Chris nods and then shows it to Gerard, who asks, "The sheriff's station?" Nodding, Chris then adds, "If Derek's really there, I doubt it's willingly." Alison nods and asks, "You think Jackson's there too?" "Maybe. Maybe him and the one controlling him."

As the two elders pull out blueprints and start laying out a plan, Alison watches and pays attention, learning and training her mind to think this way as well.

But for the most part… her thoughts were on Derek. On killing him, for biting and essentially killing her mother.

So when she asks, "What do we do now," and Gerard simply says, "Maybe you should tell us. That authority falls to you now," Alison already knows what she wants to do.

So after her father and Gerard are done arguing about whether she's old enough yet or not, Alison says, "I want Derek dead." Chris raises his eyebrows at her, not having expected quite that response from the daughter he knew. Crossing his arms, he asks, "And what about Scott?" "Scott's not the one who forced my mother to kill herself."

Chris shakes his head and says, "He's not exactly an innocent bystander either. You can't pick and choose…" Alison glares at him and cuts him off by saying, "But I can prioritize. And the priority right now is Derek."

Chris looks at her as though he might not exactly recognize her, and then asks, "And what about the others? Derek's pack?" Alison ponders that for a moment, but then says, "If they try and protect him, then we kill them. All of them."

Gerard is grinning at Alison's firm stance on this subject. But he also notices how quickly it wavers when Chris then asks, "And what about Nixie? What if she gets in the way? She's done it before. She's done it to me. We can't…"

And now he knows something is definitely wrong. Because even though Alison wavered for a moment on her firm stance of killing Derek, collateral damage be damned, she came right back to it after that moment and glared at Chris before saying, "If Nixie won't move, we will do what she's always said we'll have to do."

Gerard grins again when Alison finishes, "We'll go through her to get to him."

* * *

As Nixie still struggles with the chair, albeit less loudly considering Jackson is standing right in the doorway, she pauses when she hears Stiles whisper, "Hey. You know what's happening to Matt?" Derek glances over at him, and then at Nixie. Then he says, "I know the book's not gonna help him. You can't just break the rules, not like this."

Stiles struggles to try and make his voice cooperate with him again, but is glad he doesn't have to when Nixie asks softly, "What do you mean?" Derek looks at her what little he can, and then answers, "Universe balances things out. It always does." "Is it because he's using Jackson to kill people that don't deserve it?" Derek grins and nods minutely before adding, "And killing people himself."

Stiles eyes grow wide on the floor and he asks, "So… if Matt breaks the rules of the kanima… he becomes the kanima?!" Derek simply responds, "Balance." Nixie sighs and says, "Not that I'm against karma being a bitch and biting him in the ass right now… but I seriously doubt he's gonna be happy to hear that." Stiles agrees and asks, "Furthermore, will he even believe us if we tell him that?"

Derek responds, "Not likely." Stiles huffs and says, "Okay, so he's gonna kill all of us when he gets that book, isn't he?" Derek answers, "Yep." But both men look at her when Nixie says through her teeth, "Over my dead body."

Derek watches as she tries to work with the arm of the chair. The post that runs up and sticks into the horizontal part of the armrest is coming looser by the second. Nixie was trying to work the arm apart so she could slip the cuff off and be free. She'd still be wearing the cuffs… but at least she wouldn't be attached to the chair.

Grinning, he then hears Stiles ask, "Well, while she works on that, what the hell are we gonna do? Do we just sit here and wait for Matt to come back and kill her and then kill us over her dead body?"

Derek snarls slightly at the thought, but then thinks on it, and then says, "Unless I can figure out a way to push the toxin out of my body faster. Trigger the healing process." When Nixie hears the sound of something piercing through flesh, she first looks to Stiles to see if he's somehow being hurt. But he's fine. And as she hears Stiles say, "Oh gross," she looks over at Derek.

He's managed to get his claws out, and it stabbing himself in the thigh to try and force his body to heal faster. Smiling herself, she whispers, "Let me know if that starts working." "On it."

Nixie is sure Derek would inform her when he was able to move again. That being said, it's only a couple of minutes later when Stiles asks, "So… is that hypothetical situation we talked about getting any less hypothetical?" Derek takes a moment to think about it, and then answers, "I think so. I can move my toes."

And Nixie can't help but laugh slightly, though not necessarily a happy sound, when Stiles sighs and says, "Dude, I can move my toes."

And that's when the lights go out. Glancing around, Nixie asks, "What the hell just happened?" Stiles answers, "Someone cut the power." "You mean switched it off?" "No, Nix. I mean literally cut the power. The emergency lights and sirens wouldn't be going off if it was just the switch." "Right."

That's when the shooting begins. Nixie ducks down, sliding off the chair and into the floor to avoid any stray bullets. Jackson leaves their side to investigate what's going on, and then five seconds later, Scott bursts into the room. He reaches for Nixie first, but she quickly gestures to Stiles and says, "No, take him. Get him out of here. Now!"

Scott does as she says, but looks down at Derek, who can finally move again, and asks, "Can you get her?" "I've got her." "Good."

As soon as Derek is up, he yanks on the arm of the chair and slides the cuff off the arm. Glancing at her bleeding wrist, he says, "I told you to stay still." "Like you actually thought that would work for more than five seconds."

She makes to follow after Stiles and Scott, but as they hear Noah shouting and screaming from where he'd been cuffed, Nixie looks back at Derek and asks, "You coming?" "Yes. Stay behind me."

She would argue, except that Derek's face is already wolfed out, and since they're both heading in the same direction, she doesn't yet see the harm. They'd probably run into Jackson first, so Derek could occupy him while Nixie then went after Matt. Or, if Matt wasn't actually there, she'd move to try and help Noah and Melissa get free. Whichever one needed to happen first worked for her.

Of course, when she sees Noah lying on the ground unconscious, she curses under her breath before looking at Matt and saying, "You're so dead."

That's when Jackson arrives, in full kanima form. Derek takes off immediately, throwing Jackson across the room and fighting him. Matt, upon seeing Nixie's piercing and angry eyes, dashes out of the room to avoid her. And she would've followed. She would've, at the very least, stolen his gun and forced him into his own cell so Noah could deal with him later. As threatening as she was, Nixie knew that at this point, it would still be better if he could be caught and captured and sent to jail for the murders that he'd been responsible for.

But when she makes to follow, Jackson tries to reach out for her and hit her with his tail. Derek stops him before he can though, hauling him back into the room. Then he grabs Nixie and pushes her towards Noah and Melissa. "Stay there!" "But…" "Nixie, stay there!"

So instead of going after Matt, she bends down to Noah and checks on him. Melissa, for her part, can't understand why Nixie isn't freaking the hell out. Especially since a man with a wolf's face just ordered her to stay in the room. Why the hell was Nixie talking to him at all… let alone like he was someone she knew?

Then Derek got thrown into a wall, the wind knocked out of him and for a brief moment he was unconscious. Jackson, the kanima, then turned towards Melissa's cell and Nixie. And he probably would've gotten to Melissa… maybe even reached through the bars with his tail and injected her with his venom, or maybe even choke her.

Melissa gasps when Nixie stands up straight and moves in front of her. "Jackson!"

The beast stops, and Nixie can see the conflict between the creature that is the kanima, and the person who is still Jackson that is trapped inside. Melissa reaches through the bars, grabbing Nixie's arm and saying, "Nix, baby, just go. Get out of the way. He's gonna…" "Melissa be quiet." "Nixie!" "I've got this!" "How do you have this? You…" "I'm stalling." "For what?"

She'd actually been waiting for Derek to get back on his feet, but Scott appearing behind the kanima and throwing him back towards the doorway worked too. Sighing and smiling in relief, Nixie says, "Scott."

Melissa gasps too, and asks, "Scott? Scott, baby, are you okay? Scott?"

Nixie's smile vanishes when Scott turns around, his face wolfed out, and looks at them. Melissa's gasps and worried questions stop instantly, and Nixie glances back to see a look of confusion cross her face before it becomes one of horror. "No!"

Back to Scott, Nixie watches his head fall, his face slowly morphing back to human. He begins to step forward, to maybe try and explain.

Nixie puts a hand on his chest and whispers, "Not now. Not yet." He looks down at her, so much hurt and sadness in his eyes. But he nods. If Nixie said to wait… then he needed to wait. She then reaches for his hand and says, "Come on. We need to find Matt or Jackson. Or both. Both would be good."

As they take off out of the room, Scott draws Nixie up short before the next hall, and then says, "You said you'd keep them on you all the time. Tell me you meant that."

It takes her a minute to realize what he's talking about, given all the shit they've been though today and tonight. But then she realizes he's talking about the pills that they needed to slip Gerard. Nodding, she reaches into her strapless bra that she'd been wearing under her dress and pulls them out. At Scott's look, she says, "It's not my fault Lydia doesn't think to buy me a dress that would also have pockets. Now go."

As Scott rounds the corner, Nixie listens in as he talks to Gerard, saying, "What are you doing here? It wasn't supposed to happen like this." "Trust me, I'm aware of that." "I've done everything that you've asked of me. I'm part of Derek's pack, I've given you all the information that you wanted, I told you Matt was controlling Jackson…"

Gerard cuts him off and says, "And leave him to us. Help your friends. Leave Matt and Jackson to me. Deal with your mother. Go." Scott nods, and then very deftly drops the pill container that Nixie had given him. Picking it up, he hands it to Gerard saying, "You dropped this." "Go!"

Nixie heads back down the hall in her direction, and then meets Scott as he circles back to her. Nodding to her, he says, "It's done." "Good. Now come on." "Where?" "Back to your mom."

Scott freezes, and then says, "But… you said…" "She's not ready to hear about this yet. She's not. But we need to make her understand that, out of anything she could possibly tell them right now… she can't tell them that she watched Matt shoot you in the gut. It's already healed, hasn't it?"

Scott nods, and Nixie says, "She needs to know she can't say that. So come on."

When they step back into the room, Nixie finds a pair of keys and unlocks the cuffs from her wrist, then Noah's, and then she finds the keys for the door and unlocks Melissa from the cell.

She doesn't come out. Not immediately anyway. Then she jumps in surprise when Nixie says, "Melissa, I will be patient with you later. But right now, I need you to suck it up and get the fuck out here. Now."

Stepping out, Melissa says softly, "Language." "You can punish me for cursing later too. Right now, you need to know what you can and cannot say." "Cannot say? How can you…" "Melissa! Do you actually think anyone, and I mean anyone, is going to believe you if you tell them you saw two werewolves, a giant-ass lizard that used to be Jackson, and that you saw Scott get shot, when none of it can be proven now?"

At Melissa frown, Nixie lifts up Scott's shirt to show that the wound has healed. Then she grips Melissa's face in her hands and says, "You can freak out later, if you need to. Right now, I need that same 'calm under pressure' attitude that I know you can have as a nurse. I need that right now. So pull it together, and listen to me."

Nixie lays down the story. How Matt was the murderer. How he threatened all their lives. How he forced Scott and Stiles to destroy evidence by holding Noah and Melissa hostage. And how no one else that they knew was here. They couldn't explain the shattered windows. They couldn't explain the cut power or the gunfire. It all happened too fast, and they didn't see any of that.

After Nixie is certain that Melissa knows what to say, she turns to Scott and says, "Come on. You can't be wearing that shirt when they get here. I'm sure Stiles has something in the back of his jeep you can borrow for tonight. Let's go."

She quickly helps him change shirts, and then they find Stiles on the floor in a hall nearby. Helping him too his feet, Nixie asks, "You alright?" "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." Nixie nods, and then tells him the story as well.

As they all three sit on the bench together, Nixie in the middle, Stiles asks helplessly, "What the fuck do we do now?"

And for a moment all is silent. But then they look at Nixie when she says, "We protect each other."

Running a hand through her hair wearily, she adds on a sigh, "That's all we can do."

* * *

And that's Chapter 10! Yay! The last two chapters should be posted some time tomorrow.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 11: Episode 2x11

The idea of therapy, or even just visiting the guidance counselor at all, was that it was supposed to make you feel better. About life… about yourself… about school… just feel better.

Stiles didn't feel better. And as he sat in front of Morell for his tenth session, she knew that he still didn't feel any better. Not really. The first day, he'd been a wreck. Now he was slowly but surely returning to normal… at least on the outside.

But even if Morell hadn't already known that… Nixie certainly made sure that she did. After the first week, Nixie scheduled her appointments to be directly after Stiles. And as soon as Stiles was done that first time and Nixie came in after him, hugging him tight before letting him leave, she sat down and told Morell exactly how this was going to go down.

" _I don't need this. Stiles does. But I figure you only get a good review on how well you're doing as a counselor if I actually come here and then give a report back to someone that says I finally got better or that you 'helped' me. So here's how this is going to work from now on. You help Stiles. And don't bullshit me about how you're doing it your way or how you have to go at your own pace or at his pace. Stiles is ready to feel better, and all I've heard so far is that you've been practically interrogating him about the incident."_

Then she'd leaned forward in the chair and said, _"I don't know how yet. I haven't worked that far ahead in my plan. But if you don't quit it, now, and then proceed to actually help him, I won't just see you get fired. I'll see you can't practice any type of fancy psychological bullshit ever again."_

Nixie had then proceeded to walk out the door, saying that her session for the day was done.

Morell then really began trying to help Stiles. She had been before… but Nixie had also been correct. It had also been an interrogation… a searching of facts from the poor boy's mind.

And each session after that, depending on how Stiles looked when he came out, determined how the session with Nixie went. If Stiles looked like maybe he was making progress, Morell found that Nixie was actually willing to talk a little bit. If Stiles still looked like he felt anxious, on edge, and under duress, Nixie would sit there for the required ten minutes in dead silence, and then get up and leave without a word as well.

Stiles kept talking about all of his friends. He talked about Scott and how they hadn't really spoken since that night. About Alison, and how she and Scott hadn't spoken either. He talked about his dad, and how he got his job back, but things still weren't totally back to normal.

Morell then finally asked, "And what about you Stiles? Feeling some anxiety about the championship game tomorrow night?" Stiles looked up at her, teeth pulling at one of the strings on his lacrosse stick, and he asks, "Why would you ask me that?" Then he realizes what he's doing and how it must look.

Taking the string out of his mouth, he says, "Uh, no. I never actually play. But hey, since one of my teammates is dead and another one's missing, who knows, right?" Morell nods and asks, "You mean Isaac. One of the three runaways. You haven't heard from any of them, have you?"

Morell heard a distinct shuffle and scrape from one of the benches outside her door, and knew it was Nixie. How the girl always happened to know what was going on inside, even with the door to the office closed, Morell still doesn't understand. But she has, at least, come to understand that the sound is Nixie's warning to get back on track. Get back to Stiles.

Stiles, for his part, isn't about to say whether or not he's heard from them. Nixie had already informed him that while she was alright with Morell and she didn't hate the woman… there was a distinct air of mystery about her that Nixie found off-putting. So no… Stiles wasn't about to go into any details about Isaac, Erica, or Boyd.

Instead, he trails off and asks, "How come you're not taking any notes on this?" Morell smiles gently and says, "I do my notes after the session." "Your memory's that good?" She smiles again, and then says, "How about we get back to you?"

He just ducks his head, but Morell pushes a little by saying, "Stiles?" He glances back up at her, and then says, "I'm fine. You know… except for the not sleeping, the jumpiness, the constant and overwhelming, crushing fear that something terrible is about to happen." Morell nods and says, "It's called hyper-vigilance. The persistent feeling of being under threat."

Stiles shakes his head though and says, "It's not just a feeling though. It's… it's like it's a panic attack. I've had panic attacks about this. I wake up with them, whenever I do get to sleep. You know? It's… it's like I can't even breathe." "Like you're drowning?"

Stiles nods, and then says, "Yeah. But at least before… at least before I felt like more than just one person was reaching down to try and pull me out of the water." Morell leans forward on her desk and asks, "What do you mean? You still have your friends. You still have your dad. You…" "Yeah, but I told you. The tension. Something's… something's off."

Running a hand over his head, he then looks up again when Morell asks, "But you do have someone? You just said you did? And that would be?" "Nixie."

Morell leans back in her seat at that, and then asks, "And why is it different with her?" "It's always been different with Nixie. The rest of us, we're all friends. And Scott and me are practically brothers. But with Nix… it's more. I don't really know how to explain it."

Seeing that Morell would still like him to try, he sighs, but then says, "Nixie has never been shy about protecting us. You know? She's threatened Jackson… hundreds of times to make him leave us alone. Anyone else stupid enough to try and mess with us was never actually stupid enough to try it twice. Well, except for a few. And I've always known that. Always. We're family to her, even if we aren't blood related. She chose us, and I'm always grateful for that. Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without her."

Leaning forward, arms resting on his lacrosse stick, he says, "But I guess… I guess that's what my point is right now. I know that I'd be devastated if anything ever happened to her… you know? Like if one day she was just dead and gone… I'd have a panic attack over that too. I'd be heartbroken and devastated."

Stiles knows he can't reveal that Scott was shot, or any of the other supernatural shit that happened that night. But in the interest of trying to get himself to feeling better, he says, "There was… there was a moment that night, when things got really bad. I mean, the whole thing was bad… but this was really bad. Matt had Scott away from us with the gun, and it went off. And nobody got hurt. But in that moment, I saw…"

He takes a moment to think it out, and then looks to Morell again and says, "Nixie's eyes… they've always been the most expressive I've seen. She can scare you shitless with a look. Literally, I've seen it happen. But this…"

Morell nods for him to continue. "She just… it wasn't just anger and worry in her eyes. It was terror. And I mean the kind of terror that even horror movies have a hard time replicating nowadays. And I know we were all thinking it. We were all thinking for a moment that maybe Scott was dead. And Nixie… it was like… she wasn't just heartbroken or devastated by the thought. It was like… it was like for a moment her entire world stopped spinning. Like the ground had been ripped out from under her feet and she couldn't move, couldn't think… maybe couldn't even breathe."

Shaking his head, he says, "And I swear I felt Matt freeze, even though he wasn't in the room, when she screamed at him after that. It sent a chill up my spine, the way she yelled at him. Like he was the devil incarnate and she was one of God's angels sent to destroy him. And come hell or highwater, she would damn well do it."

Morell nods again, waiting for Stiles to calm down a little. Then she asks, "So… in that moment… it was like Nixie was drowning as well?" Stiles ponders that a moment, and then nods and says, "Yeah." Leaning forward again, Morell asks, "And what did she do while she was drowning?"

She watches him think that through, and then he says, "She fought. She nearly took her hand off trying to get out of the chair she was cuffed to." Nodding again, Morell says, "And so… if you're drowning, Stiles, and you're trying to keep your mouth closed until that very last moment… what if you choose to not open your mouth… like Nixie did?"

Stiles frowns a little at her and says, "You open your mouth anyway. It's a reflex." "Yes. But if… like Nixie… you hold off until that reflex actually kicks in, you have more time right?" Stiles tilts his head and says, "Not much time." "But more time to fight your way to the surface? More time to be rescued?" Stiles huffs and says, "More time to be in agonizing pain. I mean, did you forget about the part where you feel like your head's exploding?"

Morell nods, but then grins and says, "But if it's about survival… or in Nixie's case, if it's about being able to reach and save the people she cares about the most in this world… then isn't a little agony worth it?"

Stiles ponders that a little more, glancing at the door, where he knows Nixie is waiting outside.

She didn't have to be here with him. Hell… she didn't have to come at all. His dad was making him do this, but Nixie wasn't being forced by anyone. He knows she's only still attending because of him.

And she was doing a lot more too. For the first week after the incident, she kept Scott at her apartment. She'd even been the one to go in and pack his bag before they went there. She'd been talking to Melissa a little at first, trying to get her to just sit down and even look at Scott. But after realizing the woman still wasn't ready, Nixie became frustrated and stopped seeing Melissa.

He knows because Melissa had glanced out the window one morning, in the second week, after Scott had finally decided to go back home, in spite of the awkwardness. And though Melissa waved a little at Nixie, Stiles noted that Nixie didn't even so much as look in the direction of the house, or Melissa's room.

Then there was Alison, who Nixie had gone to see the next night after the incident. It had actually been Chris to answer the door, but upon Nixie's request to just see Alison for a moment, he called her down.

Upon which Nixie took Alison's phone, deleted her number and any other contact information from it, and told Alison to come and find her again when she was the Alison that Nixie had chosen again. Because apparently, right now, Alison wasn't the same Alison that Nixie actually loved and wanted to protect. In Nixie's words, it was like she was suddenly looking at a stranger, who had an identical face to a loved one. But you still knew that it was a stranger.

And Nixie was taking care of him. She was also trying to take care of Lydia… but the woman was still mostly closed off about what had happened. She didn't want to talk about it. And for the moment, Nixie still wasn't pressing. Stiles knows she will eventually. But for now… nope.

Stiles then asks, in spite of knowing Nixie's automatic answer would be to fight against the drowning, "Yeah, but what if it just gets worse? What if it's agony now… and then just hell later on?" Morell leans forward again and says, "Then think about something Winston Churchill once said. 'If you're going through hell… keep going.'"

* * *

"But whatever he wants, just give it to him." Scott shakes his head sadly at his mom. Melissa had been through enough as it was, and was still trying to come to terms with what she'd seen Scott turn into and all that had happened at the station a few weeks back. And now, what with Gerard showing up and Jackson as the kanima holding her in the air by her throat…

It was all too much. At least, in his opinion. But he still couldn't just give Gerard what he wanted. The man wouldn't just stop at killing Derek and his pack… or even at becoming the alpha he wanted to become. Gerard would become a ruthless killer, with a kanima at his disposal to help him do it.

So Scott shakes his head and says, "It's not that easy mom." But Melissa insists, "Do what he wants. Just give him what he wants." "Mom, I don't know if I can." "Scott, just give him…"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, suck it up."

Both Scott and Melissa jump up at the sound of Nixie's voice, and Scott glances at his mom a moment before saying to Nixie, "What the hell? You scared her!" "She's already scared. Don't need my help for that."

Stepping into the room, she glances Scott up and down before saying, "Go and put some clothes on."

Scott exits the room to do as she says, leaving Nixie with his mom. Melissa stares at her for a moment, but then, for the first time, looks around Scott's room. Why Scott had left to change, she wasn't sure. Most of his clothes were in here…

Except… so were several shopping bags. From Macy's, Belk, JC Penny. And though Scott had been sleeping in the house again… if Melissa thinks about it long enough, she can recall that except for an occasional morning or two, Scott hadn't actually come down the stairs to leave.

She'd assumed he leapt from a window or something, but… Melissa looks back at Nixie and asks, "Are you buying him clothes?" "Well, you certainly aren't doing it? And in case you haven't noticed, he's been battling some pretty scary shit lately, and keeps getting torn up over it. Literally."

Nixie then points and says, "And don't you dare ever tell him to just up and give Gerard what he wants. Not ever again, do you hear me?" "Nixie, you are not the adult here. I am. You can't just…" "Melissa, that may be true. But on this particular subject, I do happen to be more informed. When we start arguing about fashion, or how far I should let a boy go on a first date, or even on the issue of sex in general, then you can lecture me. You have more knowledge in those areas, and you're the mom. Yippee for you. You get the easy job."

Pointing a thumb at herself, Nixie says, "But in the realm of supernatural shit, I know a hell of a lot more than you do. I'm the senior, and you are the freshmen. So when it comes to dealing with supernatural creatures, and anyone else who has anything to do with supernatural creatures, you are going to defer to me on what is the correct course of action to take."

When Melissa doesn't argue, Nixie gentles her tone and then adds, "At least for right now. If you ever get over yourself and let us fill you in, then maybe we'll go back to having just pleasant conversations."

Nixie glances at the doorway again, where Scott is now dressed and waiting. Back to Melissa, Nixie says, "We're heading out. Gerard is an exceptionally bad man Melissa. Stay away from him. Do not tell us to give the man anything. It will not end well for anyone else if we do."

She turns to leave, but then pauses and turns back to Melissa. "He didn't pick this you know." When Melissa lifts her head to meet Nixie's gaze, Nixie nods and says, "Scott didn't chose it. He didn't ask for it. A psychotic asshole bit him in the middle of the night, and Scott turned into a werewolf. The whole first semester, he did everything he could trying to search for a cure. Turns out, there probably isn't one. So now he's trying his damn hardest to make the best of it."

Stepping back to the door, Nixie says gently, "You should be proud of your boy. Physically he's a little different. Mentally and emotionally though… he's still the same Scott McCall that you raised. And he's still always trying to do the right thing. Just… just think about that Melissa. It should count for something."

As they're stepping outside together, Scott says, "I didn't hear Stiles jeep pull up. How are we getting to your place?" "Well, I would've pulled into the drive… but then I got your call and heard Gerard through the speaker, so I left my ride further up the road. Care to give me a lift?" Scott picks her up easily, but then raises an eyebrow and asks, "You have a ride?" "Do now."

And when she tells him to stop, she steps into the edge of the woods, and then comes out pushing the motorcycle.

When she'd arrived home with Scott the first day, she hadn't even really looked at it. She had more important things to worry about than the bike she constantly left sitting in the parking spot in front of her apartment. But now… well, Isaac had texted her a couple of days ago, asking if she was enjoying the present Derek had left for her. When she texted back that she didn't understand what he was talking about, Isaac then mentioned he thought she would've enjoyed getting to school faster than on her bicycle.

That's when she looked at the motorcycle again. That's when, after taking a good long look at it, she realized that it had been fixed. And not just sub-par fixed either. Derek, either trying to make up for pissing her off so much, or simply trying to say thank you for some of the things she'd done for him and his pack, had spared no expense. All new parts. Even some of the ones that Nixie had considered to not need replacing, he'd replaced with new ones.

And though Derek had made it so the bike wasn't the loudest in the world, it did still make a noticeable sound. Hence her not driving it into Scott's yard.

He stares at it for a moment, and then chuckles and says, "I didn't know you were still finding time to work on this thing." "I didn't. Derek did it." "Really?" "Yeah. And don't ask me why. It didn't come with a card or anything, so I'm not sure of the reason. But bottom line… I now have a bike. And it goes more than twenty miles per hour when I push it to the limit, unlike my previous ride. Wanna see?"

As Nixie hands him the spare helmet and he slides on behind her, he says, "Maybe another day. Right now I'd rather not worry about risking my life on the road… considering I have to risk it in so many other places right now." "Well said, my dear Scott. Well said."

* * *

At the clinic the next day, Deaton grinned over at where Nixie sat in a chair in the corner. He'd dragged it in two weeks ago, when it became apparent that any time Nixie wasn't going to be with Stiles, she would be with Scott. Which meant that when Scott was working, Nixie was also at the clinic.

And Deaton made it a stipulation that if she was going to stay, she had to try and catch up on some sleep while she was there. He'd expected a fight on that point, honestly. But so long as there was no imminent threat right outside the door, and she hadn't received a call or text that asked her for information or research or something, Nixie was happy to plop down in the chair and take a nap.

Scott explained later that she was a light sleeper. They could talk around her and she'd still be fine and stay asleep. But it was like Nixie, even when asleep, just knew when something out of the ordinary was happening. She could wake up and be alert in an instant if she needed to be.

Scott grins at where she's sleeping too, a pillow tucked under her head that he'd managed to find and a blanket thrown over her. That's when the chime on the front door rang. And as Deaton asked Scott to see who it was, Nixie's eyes snapped open and she looked around as though wondering what was going on.

Frowning, and then hearing the dogs in the back acting up at the new scent in the room, Scott heads to the doorway prepared to face Gerard, Jackson, Derek… or anyone of the threats he knew he'd eventually have to deal with again.

But instead… it was just Isaac. Scott relaxes a little, and then Isaac asks, "Is… Is she here?" Grinning, Deaton steps forward and opens the gate on the front desk while saying, "It's okay Isaac. We're open. And yes, she's here. She's just…"

Nixie moves to stand beside Scott, and as Isaac slowly enters the room with them, cautious for a moment about how truly welcome he might be, he relaxes completely when a smile splits across Nixie's face. "Isaac!"

Hearing from him was one thing. It let her know that he was alive, at least in some capacity. But seeing him actually standing in front of her… it was a relief. Rushing forward to meet him, she wraps her arms tightly around him and sighs.

Isaac hugs her back, resting his cheek on the top of her head. Then he chuckles a little when she sighs and says, "You idiot. I don't care if you're trying to runaway and disappear. You can't just up and ditch town without calling me." "I sent you a text." "That doesn't count!" Leaning back and rolling her eyes, she makes an overexaggerated gesture at Scott and says, "You. Explain the rules to him. He has my number, therefore he needs to understand the rules. And never break them again!"

She marches back into the other room without another word, but Scott is chuckling, so Isaac isn't too worried about her actually being upset. Patting Isaac on the shoulder, Scott says, "Come on. You can hang out here a while and I'll explain some of the finer points of having Nixie's number. But really, there's only one rule. Call her. Always. For anything. Literally, anything. And if you don't, expect repercussions, because that's when she'll be pissed."

Isaac grins, looking to the comforting hand on his shoulder, and then as they enter the room, over to Nixie in the chair she's sitting down in again. When she catches his eye, she rolls her eyes while saying, "I've been confined to the chair for at least two hours so long as I'm here and so long as Deaton thinks the circles under my eyes are too dark. Go figure."

He stands next to her for a while, basking in the scent of security, safety, and home that she gives off. Scott glances back at him, smiling because he knows that's what Isaac's doing. He'd been the same when he'd first turned. Nixie had made it easier… a lot easier. Granted, some things still went wrong back then… but it could've been a lot worse without her.

When Deaton brings out the dog named Duke though, Isaac grimaces a little before coming to stand at the end of the table. And though Nixie had been asleep, she wakes up and chuckles with Deaton and Scott when Isaac asks, "Why does it smell like that?"

Looking around at them, Isaac asks, "What?" Nixie shrugs and says, "Oh nothing. Scott had a similar reaction the first time it hit him too." At Isaac's confused look, Deaton explained, "Scott said almost the same thing to me a few months ago. One day, he could somehow tell the difference between which animals were getting better… and which were not."

Nixie comes around to Isaac's side and puts a hand on his back as he looks down at the whimpering animal. Tilting his head, Isaac asks, "He's not getting better… is he?" Deaton shakes his head, and as Isaac looks at Duke again, he says, "Like cancer?" Deaton nods approvingly at that and says, "Osteosarcoma. It has a very distinct scent, doesn't it?"

Deaton then looks to Nixie, who smiles gently and nods. He then looks back to Isaac and says, "Come here." Isaac looks up at him, and then down at Nixie. She rubs her hand up his back gently and nods, so he moves to the other side of the table.

Looking at the dog again, Deaton says, "I know you're well aware of what your new abilities can do for you. Improved strength, speed, and healing. But… have you ever wondered what it could do for others?"

Isaac looks at him in wonder, but still flinches back slightly when Deaton reaches out and says, "Give me your hand."

But Nixie's hand is on his back again in an instant, and Deaton smiles at her before nodding and restating, "Give Nixie your hand. She'll show you."

Looking down at Nixie, Isaac gives her his left hand, and lets her guide it to rest on Duke's side. She gently pats his hand, and then says, "You're a good person Isaac. You care so much, even if sometimes you prefer to hide that fact. But you don't fool me."

He glances at her, and then back down at the poor, dying animal on the table. It's still whimpering in pain, and Isaac does wish, more than anything, that he could do something to help… to take away some of that pain.

Nixie smiles proudly along with Scott when the black lines begin rushing up Isaac's veins. Isaac gasps at the sensation, but leaves his hand there, sensing Duke's distress leaving and the whimpers ceasing.

When he pulls back his hand, he tugs up his sleeve to watch the black lines continue up and then slowly disappear beneath the skin. Back to the dog, he asks softly, "What did I do?" Scott grins gently at him and says, "You took some of his pain away." Deaton nods and adds, "Only a little bit. But sometimes a little can make quite a difference."

As Isaac tries to hide his face, feeling the tears building there, Scott says, "It's okay. The first time he showed me, I cried too."

He feels Nixie's hand on his back again, rubbing gentle circles there, and she says, "And you can't take pain if you don't care. But don't worry Isaac."

He turns back to her, and then smiles when she grins and says in a whisper, "Your secret's safe with us." He looks back to the dog, then back at the rest of them, not able to help the smile that lights his face. Wrapping an arm around Nixie's shoulders, he stays there to watch the rest of what they do, waiting to see if maybe he'd even get the chance to do it again.

They do let him do it one more time, to another dog named Sandy that wasn't getting better.

Then, as Scott is packing up the supplies and equipment for the day, Isaac finally says, "They're leaving tonight. During the game."

Nixie and Scott look at each other knowingly. They'd expected as much. Then Scott asks, "So why are you telling us?" Isaac first looks to Nixie and then says, "Her… because we know she'd want to know. Even as mad we managed to make her this year."

She smiles gently at that, and then Isaac turns to Scott and says, "But you… I'm not telling you. I'm asking you. I'm asking for your advice. Well, both of you actually, I guess." Nixie hops up to sit on the edge of the table and says, "And why shouldn't you? My advice is wonderful and always in high demand."

Scott grins at her, but then asks, "But… from us? Why?" Isaac takes a moment to ponder that, and then says, "Because I trust you." Scott raises an eyebrow at that, and then asks again, "Why?" "Because you always seem to want to do the right thing. Both of you."

Nixie ponders that for a moment, and then says, "I'm gonna defer to Scott on this one." Scott widens his eyes at her and asks, "Me? Why?" She smiles at him and says, "Because you do always want to do the right thing. Saving everyone, helping everyone that needs it. That's all you Scott. And I will follow your lead on that point, until the end of time."

To Isaac now, she shrugs and says, "My commitments to right are more narrowed. I protect what's mine. If it comes down to doing the right thing, and protecting what's mine, I'll choose mine in a heartbeat. Scott… he'll work a little harder to try and do both. He'll work harder to make sure no one has to die. But me…"

Isaac chuckles when she says, "Well, you've heard how many times I've threatened Jackson in the past. And Derek in the timespan that you've been a wolf. And I don't even really hate him. He just… keeps hurting what's mine. So, anyways… I defer to Scott."

Scott rolls his eyes, and then concedes, "I usually have no idea what I'm doing. Actually… I always have no idea what I'm doing?" Isaac laughs a little at that, and then a little more when Nixie whispers loudly, "That's what he has me for. He's the moral compass. I'm the brains. It's a combination that works out beautifully."

Isaac nods, and then asks, "So… do you guys want to let me know what you're doing right now?" Nixie looks over to Scott, and then nods in agreement when he says, "We're not going anywhere, if that's what you mean. We have too many people here who need us."

Isaac nods again and then says, "Well… I guess that makes me lucky, cause… cause I don't have anyone. So…" "Hey!" He turns back to Nixie and she throws up her hands and asks, "And what am I?! Invisible?! Sitting right here, you big dummy." Isaac grins at her, and then leans over closer and kisses the top of her head before standing up and moving towards the doorway.

Scott steps up beside Nixie and asks Isaac, "Are you gonna go with them?" "Yeah. Yeah, I think I will. Good luck with the game though." Scott sighs and says, "Thanks, but um… we're not going either. Can't even think about playing some meaningless game right now."

Nixie nods at that, but then notices the slightly confused look on Isaac's face. Lifting her head, she asks, "What?" He looks between both of them, and then asks, "You weren't at practice last week, were you?" Scott shakes his head and says, "No, I skipped it. Why?" "And you didn't hear?" "Hear what?"

Nixie freezes on the table when Isaac says, "Jackson was there." Scott leans forward in shock and asks, "There? Like… what do you mean there? You mean… like…" Isaac nods and says, "As if nothing had happened." Scott runs a hand through his hair and says, "Well… then… that means that… the game tonight." Isaac nods again and says, "He's playing."

Scott, for a moment, feels like he can't breathe. That's when Nixie hops up, gives him a firm pat on the chest, and says, "Come on. We're going home. We're getting your pads. And we're getting to the game. Now." "But… my grades… I…" "Minor detail right now. Worry about it later. Right now, let's go."

To Isaac, she pats his cheek and says, "Thanks Isaac. And I don't care where you guys go or end up. Call me. For anything. And at the very least, call me when you get somewhere and get a chance. Okay? Let me know you're okay." He nods, and then reaches down to hug her tightly.

When he watches them run out the door a few seconds later, he turns to Deaton when the man says, "You must really be something." "What? Why?" Deaton nods towards Nixie and says, "I've only really known her a short while. But it's like I said with Derek… she doesn't waste her time and attention and hope on people that aren't worth it."

Gesturing to Isaac again, he says, "She must see something valuable in you… to keep caring this much, even after everything." Patting Isaac's shoulder, Deaton then says, "Good luck."

But as Isaac leaves the clinic… he doesn't head to the woods. He heads towards what he now calls home. And as Deaton watches him take off, he can't help but grin. They might all actually make it through this after all.

* * *

"What the hell is he talking about?"

Nixie turns to look at Melissa, smiling when she sees Scott's mom standing behind her and Stiles. Normally, girls wouldn't be allowed in the boys' locker room. But it was the championships, and Coach was giving his speech, so whoever walked in was welcome to stay and listen.

In answer to Melissa's question, Stiles says, "He does this every year." "Seriously?" Nixie nods and says, "Tried to convince him to watch 'Remember the Titans'. Maybe draw on that for some inspiration. It was a no-go."

At first Melissa is confused, but then as she listens a little longer, she says, "Wait… is this…" Stiles nods and says, "Yeah, it's the speech from 'Independence Day'." Nixie turns to her and says, "His absolute favorite movie." Melissa raises an eyebrow and asks, "And he doesn't know any sports speeches?"

Together, Stiles and Nixie shrug and say, "Don't think he cares."

When it finally comes to and end and the room quiets down, Nixie instantly shifts her position so she's standing directly in front of Melissa as Gerard appears from the backroom and says, "Well-spoken coach."

Nixie glares at the man, not really paying attention or hearing anything he has to say. Well, up until he gets to the part where he says, "I know you'll all be brilliant tonight, even with only one co-captain leading you."

Stiles glances from Gerard to Scott, and then, completely ignoring the fact that Melissa is right behind them, reaches over and grabs Nixie's arm. Leaning down to her ear, he asks, "What the hell just happened?" Nixie turns to him and says, "Our 'beloved' principal just forced Scott on the bench. He's probably using Scott's grades as the excuse." "It wasn't an issue before!" "Argent didn't have the kanima before. Now he does."

Huffing and glaring at the man's back as he walks away, Nixie tilts her head to listen as Scott rushes up to Finstock and asks, "Coach, are you benching me?" "It's not my decision McCall." "But I have to play!" "McCall, you're failing three classes. Academics come first." "No, Coach. You don't get it. You have to let me play."

And while Coach would love nothing more than to put Scott on the field, he says resignedly, "McCall, no. Not tonight. Tonight, you're on the bench."

Melissa, from where they're still standing, is about to ask a question, but Stiles holds up a hand to stop her, knowing Nixie is trying to hear. Nodding finally, Nixie turns back to him and says, "Grades. That's why he's benched." "Fuck, what are we gonna do?!"

Nixie runs a hand over her hair and says, "I'll think of something." "How? Nix, we don't have…" "I will get him on the field. If I have to break Finstock's arm to make him change his mind I will. Just… just let me worry about it. Considering Matt's not here and Scott can't play, you might be on the field tonight. If you are, keep an eye on Jackson." "Got it."

Stiles makes to leave, but is drawn up short when Nixie grabs him by the front of his pads. Turning back to her, he asks, "What?" Nixie looks at him for a long moment, and then says gently, "Keep an eye on him… from a long way off. Okay?" Stiles nods again, and then wraps her up in a hug before saying, "I'll be okay." "You damn well better be."

* * *

"Your dad coming?"

Stiles nods and says to Scott, "Yeah, he's already here." He gestures back to where Melissa and Nixie are sitting on the bleachers. Scott nods to that, and then asks, "You see Alison?" "No. You see Lydia?" "Not yet. And Nixie…" "Yeah, I know. She hasn't seen either of them either."

Stiles sighs, and then asks, "Do you know what's going on?" Scott knows he's referring to Gerard, and Jackson… and everything else. Shaking his head, he says again, "Not yet." Stiles nods in understanding, but then says anyway, "It's gonna be bad though… isn't it? I mean, like, people screaming, running for their lives, blood, killing, maiming kind of bad?"

Scott looks over at him, and then nods and says, "Looks like it."

Silence lasts for a moment, and Scott is prepared to handle a bit more of the tense silence that has been between them these past few weeks… he understands that Stiles must be going through a lot. They all are.

But then Stiles says, "Scott… the other night… seeing my dad get hit over the head by Matt, you know… while I'm just lying there and I can't even move, it just…" He pauses to take a breath, and then says, "I want to help… you know… but I can't do the things that you can do. And I mean, not even like Nixie. Did you know she almost literally jerked the chair out of the floor, bolts and all, trying to get to you when the gun went off?"

Scott shakes his head, surprised at that, and Stiles nods before saying, "I… she would've done anything… anything to get to you. And I know she's human too, but she's stronger than me. Hell, sometimes I think she's stronger than both of us… in different ways. But I'm not like her… or you… I can't…" "Hey…"

Stiles looks over as Scott puts a hand on his shoulder, and then Scott says, "It's okay." And to try and relieve a little bit of the sad mood taking over, Scott grins gently and says, "Besides, no one expects you to be like Nixie. No one can. Pretty sure they broke the mold when they made her." Stiles laughs for a second and says, "Damn. That was a terrible one to break." "Tell me about it."

Stiles then looks over at him again, and sighs before saying, "We're losing dude."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Both boys turn to see Coach behind them, and he says, "Game hasn't even started yet. Now put on your helmet and get out there. You're in for Greenburg?" And even though Nixie had told him he might be playing tonight, Stiles still honestly can't believe his ears. Head snapping up and looking around, Stiles asks, "What? What happened to Greenburg?"

Coach laughs and says, "What happened to Greenburg?! He sucks! You suck… slightly less." Stiles stares out at the field for another second, and then asks in shock, "I'm playing? On the field? With… With the team?!"

Coach shakes his head both in amusement and sadness, and then says, "Yes, unless you'd rather play with yourself."

And Nixie, who had been walking up to the bench, nearly doubles over laughing when Stiles immediately responds, "I already did that today, twice." "Get the hell out there Stilinski!"

Stiles scrambles to grab all of his stuff and get on the field. And when he realizes he actually didn't grab his helmet, he turns back around. Only to find Nixie behind him. She slips it on his head, and then reminds him, "From a long way off. If you see Jackson, get the hell out of the way." "Got it. Thanks Nix."

Nixie is walking back to the bleachers in time to see Noah stand up and shout, "My son is on the field!" As he sits back down awkwardly after that, he grins when Nixie joins them on the other side of Melissa again and says, "No shame to be had Noah. Getting on the field is a rather big accomplishment. You should be proud." "Thank you." "That's what I'm here for."

And then, of course, because they obviously don't already have enough problems, Nixie hears Gerard start talking to Scott about the game getting interesting. "Let's put a real clock on this game, Scott. I'll give you until the last thirty seconds. When that scoreboard clock begins counting down from thirty, if you haven't given me Derek, then Jackson is gonna kill someone."

As if in response to hearing his master say his name, Jackson's head lifts to look at the person in front of him, eyes briefly flashing between normal and kanima. Gerard chuckles, and then asks, "So tell me, Scott, who's gonna die tonight? Should it be your mother, who so bravely came out to support you?"

Melissa jumps slightly when Nixie's hand reaches out and grabs onto hers. And if that were it, Melissa wouldn't have thought more of it. Except Nixie's grip was a vice, and as Melissa looked over at her face, she noticed that Nixie wasn't looking at Stiles, but at a particular point on the ground.

She was focusing, the same way she had in the locker room when Stiles had made Melissa be quiet so Nixie would still hear. Something was happening. And judging from the set of Scott's shoulders as well… Scott was hearing it too.

Gerard then asks, "Or the sheriff, your best friend's father? Or how about the pretty little redhead who managed to survive the bite of an alpha?" Nixie's forehead crinkles in confusion at that as she asks softly, "Lydia?" "Yeah Nixie?"

Nixie snaps her attention up to Lydia, who is now standing directly next to her. Sitting down, Lydia asks, "What's up?" "Um… not much. Where have you…" "I've been… thinking. I've been doing a lot of thinking." Nixie grins finally and says, "That's a dangerous thing coming from you."

Lydia grins back, and then takes Nixie's free hand and says gently, "We… need to talk. After the game maybe. Or… if you can't…" "I will make time for you Lydia. I'm not sure exactly when right off the bat… but I will make time for you tonight. Okay?" "Okay. Thank you." "Of course."

But Lydia, just like Melissa, doesn't miss how Nixie's hand suddenly becomes a vice on hers. But as Lydia makes to possibly ask Nixie to let go, Melissa shakes her head from over top of Nixie's, so Lydia stays quiet.

She's back on Gerard now, who is saying, "It's up to you Scott, but you are going to help me take Derek down. Because if you don't… I'll have Jackson rip someone's head off right in the middle of the field and drench everyone you love and care about in blood."

Nixie keeps her tight grip a second more, and then turns her head towards Melissa while letting go. Melissa looks at her to see if she wants something, but then freezes when she hears Nixie saying, "Scott, can you hear me?"

Melissa watches as the stiff tension in Scott's shoulders relaxes a little bit, and then he nods slowly. Nixie sighs, and then says, "Focus. Get on the field… somehow. I've got your mom, and I've got Lydia. And worst comes to worst, I can manage to keep Noah safe too. Just focus on Jackson."

Scott wonders briefly how he knows she'll hear him, but he whispers back anyway, "What about everyone else?" "I can't promise to take care of everyone else. I've got these three. I'll keep an eye on Stiles on the field. You keep an eye on him too, and focus on getting Jackson off, if you can. Ignore him Scott. Don't let him get under your skin. It's what he wants."

Scott nods again, and then Nixie sits up straight as the whistle blows, and the game begins.

Sighing, she mutters to herself, "Another long night. Perfect. Just freaking perfect."

* * *

"I got it, I got it, I…"

As Stiles gets tackled for maybe the… hmm… fifth time, Nixie sighs and is prepared to just stand up and glare at everyone booing on the stands. They weren't helping.

Lydia pats her knee gently though, calming her down, and she says, "He's just a little nervous. Plenty of time to still turn it around."

And when Nixie leans over and rests her head on Lydia's shoulder, Lydia smiles and pats her knee again. Nixie had remained tense for most of the game. And Lydia could still remember when, earlier in the year, she'd been cheering for Jackson and Nixie had not been too fond of it one bit. In fact, Nixie probably would've left if Lydia hadn't eventually sat down and quit back then.

And now, Nixie was leaning over onto Lydia for comfort. And Lydia didn't usually get to be the one providing that. It was usually Nixie who did that for her and… well, for everyone else.

It felt good. So Lydia makes a note in her mind to work to find more opportunities to do it again for Nixie. Maybe some of the others too, but Nixie to start. Baby steps people. Baby steps.

And, well, Stiles of course. But that was for other reasons entirely.

Nixie was tensing up again though, and Lydia was trying to think of something else she could do to help, when suddenly, Nixie's head shot up, her eyes focusing towards the players' bench down below. Melissa looks too, and then back to Nixie when she suddenly smiles and says, "Isaac."

Isaac hears her and turns his head slightly, grinning when he catches her eye and winking before looking back at Scott who asks, "You came to help?" And Nixie grins wider when Isaac simply says, "I came to win."

Nixie turns towards Melissa again to speak, and says in a happy whisper, "Isaac… if I forget, remind me to kiss you later." He chuckles and says, "I'll hold you to that. Don't worry."

As soon as he's out on the field, Nixie sees what the plan is. And just because she wants to be sure, she turns to Melissa to speak again, and says, "Isaac, just don't hit number twenty-four. That's Stiles."

He weaves an impressively wide circle around Stiles once, just to make sure Nixie knows that he heard her, and then proceeds to taking out the rest of the players that he can.

Until Jackson takes him to the ground, and when Isaac doesn't get back up, Nixie stands to try and see over the people picking him up, trying to see exactly what's wrong. Then she hears Gerard from the side again saying, "You wanna play chess Scott? Then you better be willing to sacrifice your own pawns."

Nixie, upon seeing Scott's frustrated expression, says, "Don't worry Scott. When the pawn reaches the other side of the board, it gets traded in for a better piece. Maybe not the best analogy, but think of it this way. Isaac reached the other end of the board. Now he's becoming a new piece."

Stepping down a bleacher, she says, "I've got him for now. I'll come back out once I know he's fine. You… get in the game. Don't let Jackson hurt anyone." Scott nods to her, but then Nixie pauses when Lydia catches her arm. "Nixie… are you okay?"

Nixie simply looks at her for a moment, and then leans in closer. Cupping Lydia's face in her hands, Nixie says, "I know, that you know, that a whole lot of crazy shit has been happening lately. And I know you haven't wanted to talk to me about it yet or tell me. And maybe because you still think that I'd say you were insane or crazy. And maybe because you just thought eventually it would go away."

Smiling gently, but sadly, Nixie says, "It's not going to go away. And Lydia… I am so much a part of this… so involved… I could never think you were going crazy… not for anything you might have to tell me."

Leaning forward, hugging Lydia tight, she then says, "I have to go for right now. I'll be back in a little bit. And we will talk, about anything and everything that you and I need to talk about. But right now…" "Go."

Nixie gives her a worried look for a moment, but Lydia just smiles and says, "You're worried, and that means someone you care about needs you. Go. I'm fine, and I'll be ready when you are to talk." "Good."

As Nixie takes off into the locker rooms and Scott suits up for the game, Melissa dashes down to him and asks, "Something's going on, isn't it? Something more than a lacrosse game?" Scott glances around, and then says to her, "Mom, you should go." "Oh, I'm not going anywhere. But everything I said before, forget it. All of it."

When Scott gives her a confused look, Melissa hugs him tightly before saying, "Nixie was right. I raised you to always try and do the right thing. And I know that's what you're doing now. So if you can do something to help, you do it. You have to. That's who you are. That's the son I believe in." And grinning wider, Melissa says, "That's the son Nixie reminded me I still have. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I…" "Mom, it's okay."

He hugs her back, and then smiles before saying, "Go back to the bleachers. Don't get caught by yourself after the game. Understand?" "Absolutely."

In the locker room, Nixie has headed into the back office, looking for bandages to stop the current bleeding, and also possibly a knife or blade or at this point, a pin or needle. Anything she could use to only hurt Isaac's body enough that it triggered his healing process, pushing the toxin out faster, like Derek had done at the police station.

As she starts coming back, she hears Gerard saying, "This would be so much more poetic if it were halftime."

Isaac pulls himself up against the sinks, glaring at Gerard as he comes closer with the huge-ass sword that he planned on using to cut the young werewolf in half. But then Isaac grins and Gerard freezes when Nixie says from behind him and the other two hunters, "I always hated poetry."

When Scott hurries down into the locker room, having sensed that Isaac was in greater danger than before, he pauses for a moment when he sees one hunter sliding back along the floor towards him. And as he walks in further, he rounds the next set of lockers just in time to see Nixie thrust the heel of her hand up at the other hunter's face, shattering the bones in his nose and knocking him unconscious.

After he falls to the ground, she turns to look at Scott, and then shrugs and asks, "What the hell took you so long?" He chuckles at her, eyes still glowing and teeth still out. But then, as he looks around the room, he frowns and asks, "Where is he? Where's Gerard?"

Nixie turns to Isaac, sees that he's fine, and then looks around the room for a moment before concluding that the old man had bailed before she could get to him.

Coward. Typical.

Then Nixie turns as she hears the cheering from their stands spike. Someone had apparently scored a goal. Back to Scott and Isaac, she says, "Scott, you need to find him. I'll go back with your mom. Find him though." "On it."

Running back outside, weaving her way through the now standing and excited crowd, Nixie pauses when she hears Lydia shout, "YES STILES! GO! YES!"

Shoving her way to the front, Nixie actually laughs in surprise and joy, when she sees Stiles taking off up the field, ball in his lacrosse stick net, and he shoots what must be at least his fifth goal into the net, securing them ten points to the other team's nine. They were winning the game! And Stiles had done it!

When he glances up at the stands and sees Lydia on her feet, cheering for him… Stiles swears he's on cloud nine. Then he scans around for a moment, until he sees Nixie at the side of the bleachers. Catching his eyes, she raises both of her hands straight up in the air. The touchdown symbol.

Obviously, that's the wrong sport. But it's the thought that counts, and Stiles pumps his glove into the air in victory as the clock winds down, the final buzzer sounds, and the game… the championship… is officially theirs.

His joy though, along with everyone else's, is short lived. Almost as soon as the game ends… almost as soon as Scott returns to the field, still on his hunt for Gerard… the lights go out.

The darkness doesn't really bother Nixie. It only takes her eyes a second or two to adjust to the considerably dimmer lighting. It's the people that bother her. Everyone, instead of staying calm and waiting to see why the lights had suddenly gone out, they start moving around in a panic. Tripping over each other, trampling over each other, falling down the bleachers… it's a mess.

Nixie's eyes dart to the bleachers, and at least for the moment, Lydia, Melissa, and Noah are all safe. Noah has the sense of mind to keep them where they are for the moment, huddled together so people will go around them, until the majority of people are gone. Then he'll let them move.

That left Isaac, Scott, and Stiles that Nixie needed to find. Hurrying forward towards the field, weaving and dodging the people who have no damn idea where they're actually going, Nixie looks out for the shine of red jerseys, hoping one of them will be one of the boys she's looking for.

Scott is easiest to spot first. Isaac is close behind him, and he's looking around for Jackson and Gerard still, or the person that was supposed to die as soon as the game ended and Scott didn't deliver Derek.

That left Stiles. But as Nixie reaches the end of the mass of people, reaches the end of the field… she still hasn't found him.

Until, that is, she sees the shine of a red jersey with the number twenty-four on it… heading off and being dragged past the edge of the woods.

She yells at Scott, "Find your mom and figure out what else happened." She knows he hears her. Or, at the very least, that finding his mom was already one of Scott's priorities right now. Then Nixie takes off after where she saw Stiles being dragged.

Given that Stiles was spastic on good days and a flailing mess on bad ones, she knew he wouldn't be easy to drag away. And sure enough, she finds him as she dashes around another set of trees, being hauled by two hunters that are trying to hold his arms still while they get him to a SUV where other hunters are waiting.

Not a chance in hell.

The first one never saw it coming. Nixie literally ran up the back of his body, wrapped her legs around his neck, and flipped herself around until he was on the ground beneath her. Rising up rapidly, she kicks the knee out from under the other one and shouts, "RUN STILES!"

He jerks to run back towards the field, knowing that at this point, with the lights back on in the distance, there are safety in numbers.

But then he hears a thump, and turns back to see three more hunters running up to help the other two, and the one that Nixie had taken down second has managed to reach out and grab her ankle.

She kicks him hard in the face with her free foot, but it's too late. She's already down, and the others are on her within seconds.

Stiles makes to come back, to help her in some way. But he jerks back again when Nixie looks at him and shouts, "NO! RUN! STILES RUN!"

The same look of horror was on her face. The one that wasn't just fear, or anger, or heartbreak. For a moment, Nixie's world was crashing down again, and this time he was the cause of it. Nixie didn't know what these people had planned. But if Gerard owned them, she knew it couldn't be good. And if they got a hold of Stiles… if they hurt him… if they…

She wouldn't survive it. That was the look on her face. She wouldn't survive knowing they'd gotten to him, and hurt him… not after she'd tried so hard to set him free.

So he turned and ran, as fast as his legs would carry him. But he shouted back, "We'll get you Nixie! We'll get you!" "RUN!"

It takes five to hold her and drag her back to the SUV. The two originals tried to grab her like they had Stiles, and found out quickly that it was a mistake. One man finally held her at gunpoint, another holding a knife to her stomach as a warning. Then three others grabbed hold of her, and they made their way to the SUV and threw her in once they had rope tied around her wrists.

On the way to… well, wherever they were taking her… Nixie couldn't help but look out the window and sigh before saying aloud, "You know… I knew this was going to be a long fucking night. But damn… I didn't actually think it would be this long."

* * *

And that's chapter 11! One more to go you guys. To be posted shortly. :)


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

And brief warning. Nixie gets hurt and tortured some in this chapter. I don't think I made it overly graphic or anything, but if you're squeamish and don't want to deal with that part, feel free to skip it. It occurs after the second line in the story (not including this one right beneath what I'm writing right now). I wouldn't skip the whole section... but I'm sure you'll know when you should stop reading, if you think it will bother you at all.

Okay. I'm done. Sorry for the interruption. Please continue and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 12: Episode 2x12 & Epilogue

Nixie doesn't make it any easier for them to drag her around once they start trying to pull her out of the car either. The first man who tries to open the door ends up with a broken nose because Nixie was ready and kicked it open as hard as she could as soon as he pulled the handle. The next man that tried to pull her out nearly fell down from how dizzy he got when Nixie reared her head back and head-butted him in the face. She was aiming to break his nose too… but she'll take his falling down.

Three others finally approach, grab her kicking legs, and then drag her out of the seat and drop her hard on the ground. Two more join in, and once they finally have a good grip on her, they drag her towards the house… Alison's house… and then towards the door to the basement.

Nixie thinks for a moment that they must be complete idiots, because they untie her hands at the door. But… well, they do have some sense. There's still five of them, and they don't give her the opportunity to fight back this time. As soon as her hands are free, one of them kicks her square in the back and sends her tumbling down the steps.

If she hadn't lifted her arms to protect her face and head, she'd probably have a concussion.

Sighing as she flips onto her back and then sits up against the wall, she mutters to herself, "Well… I didn't really have a plan to begin with. But if I had… this definitely wouldn't have been part of it."

A whimper sounds from the other side of the room, and Nixie freezes for all of a second, before snapping her gaze up and asking into the darkness, "Erica?" She can see two figures dangling from the ceiling in front of her, but in the interest of being one-hundred percent correct, she turns to find the light switch.

As soon as it clicks on and she sees both Erica and Boyd hanging there, Nixie grits her teeth and says, "Son of a bitch. This definitely wouldn't have been part of it either."

* * *

In the locker room, back at the school, Stiles, Scott, and Isaac are standing around Noah. Stiles hadn't actually said anything to them yet about Nixie being kidnapped. Both werewolves could tell something was wrong though by his scent, and the fact that he couldn't stand still… like at all… not even for a second.

Noah didn't appear to think that was all that strange in itself. But as soon as the lights had come back on, he'd gone on a hunt for both Stiles and Nixie when he didn't see them at first. Then Stiles came out of the woods, a bruised lip and eye now on his face.

Stiles chalked it up to some of the other team wanting a little payback for him stealing the show and the game from them. And when Noah asked where Nixie was, Stiles said he didn't know. He'd thought about it all the way back through the woods. He'd tried to figure out how he could possibly tell his dad that Nixie had been kidnapped, or if he could even somehow spin that she might be lost in the woods.

But without being able to explain that werewolves existed, along with hunters and kanimas and other things… Stiles couldn't think up a logical story to tell him. So he had to stick with that he didn't know… for now. Half of why he kept bouncing around on the balls of his feet was because he really wanted his dad to hurry up and finish so he could tell Scott what had happened.

And, on a slightly better note of it all, Noah didn't need to be told a story to know that something was wrong. Nixie missing for a few minutes, or even half an hour was one thing. Nixie missing for a total of one or two hours… without so much as texting or calling somebody… it didn't happen. Had never happened. Someone always knew where she was… because she was always making sure she knew were everyone else was… or because she was always with one of them.

But no one knew where she was, or where she might've been going. And the bike she'd driven here with Scott was still in the parking lot next to Stiles jeep.

All in all… it wasn't looking good. Not at all. So Noah had an APB out on Nixie. He had to go speak to the medical examiner about Jackson's body, but after that he was going straight into helping look for Nixie.

Looking up at the boys, he says, "Her motorcycle… it's still in the parking lot… which means… Oh, hell. I don't know what that means." Stiles nods and says, "It's alright dad." "Stiles, I've called her six times. She hasn't even so much as texted me back. It's not alright."

Scott nods, but then says, "She was down here helping Isaac earlier. She probably just went to look for more help, and it's taking a while." "But what if…" Stiles shakes his head and says, "Don't dad. Okay. She'll be fine. Between all of us, Nixie is the toughest. Whatever's going on, and wherever she is… she'll be fine."

Noah finally nods at that, and then looks at Stiles and says, "I'll see you at home. Let me know if she contacts any of you before then. Alright?" They all nod, and then Scott and Isaac both turn to Stiles to finally hear what happened.

But, of course, Coach picks that moment to interrupt them, yet again, to talk to Scott. "McCall. Look, we need you on the team, okay? And you know I can't put you on the field next season if you don't get your grades up." Scott nods and says, "Yeah, I know Coach." "Alright."

He turns to leave, but then looks at them again and says, "I mean… I know I yell a lot, but it's not like I hate you guys. Well… I kind of hate Greenberg, but… you know… that's different. It's Greenberg! Anyways… I'm just saying… we… I need you on the team. So get your grades back up. If you need a tutor, I can…"

Scott grins a little and says, "I will Coach. And I have a tutor. Nixie. She's gonna work with me all summer. I'll get it done. I promise. Besides… Nixie wouldn't allow it to be any other way." Coach nods and says, "Good. You know, as scary as that little pixie is, I do kind of like her."

Stiles blows out a huff of air, temporarily forgetting his stress, and says, "Then don't ever let her hear you call her pixie. You won't like her at all afterwards if you do." "Noted."

As soon as he's finally gone, Scott asks Isaac, "Is that everyone?" Stiles waits until Isaac finally says, "Yeah, I think so." Then he flails around in an exceptionally panicked way and says, "Finally! Nixie was kidnapped! I was supposed to be kidnapped, but Nixie came, kicked ass, and saved me from being kidnapped! But then more hunters came, and even though Nixie is badass, five on one is totally unfair! And I would've tried to help her, but she told me to run! And she gave me that look! You know… the one where if I don't listen she's going to be really hurt and then maybe pissed at me later! But… Gerard has her! Or, you know… his hunters do! We need to…"

Scott puts a hand on Stiles shoulder and says, "We'll find her. Isaac, run out to her bike. She left her jacket there. We can track her by scent that way. Hurry."

As soon as Isaac comes back, he and Scott pass the coat back and forth to get a good lock on her scent. But just as they're about to leave, Derek appears, seemingly out of thin air, and then says, "We need to talk."

And then Peter… Peter who is supposed to be dead… appears right behind him and adds with a grin, "All of us."

Stiles would've said it if he weren't so shocked at the fact that Peter was standing there, and pissed that they were again being stopped from going out to find Nixie.

Lucky for him, Scott went ahead and said, "Holy shit!"

* * *

Nixie reaches up to try and release Erica and Boyd from the wires that are wrapped around their wrists. Erica shakes her head and whimpers behind the tape on her mouth, and when Nixie ignores her, Boyd joins in. Glancing at both of them, she says in a hiss, "Well, I can't just stand here and do nothing. And I can't fucking understand you. So just…"

Nixie grabs the wires… and not just with her fingers. She wrapped one whole hand around them to try and tug.

She's not gonna lie. Not exactly her proudest moment. Considering Erica and Boyd were both trying to warn her… she probably should've been more careful in inspecting what they were wrapped in.

But she wasn't. Hence the hundreds of volts of electricity zinging up her arms and then through the rest of her body. Erica actually screamed in fear through her gag as Nixie went stock still for a moment before her body got tossed back and onto the ground again.

In the daze that was her mind afterwards, Nixie hears a voice say, "They were trying to warn you. It's electrified."

The world is still fuzzy, but Nixie can still be heard clearly when he says, "No shit asshole. I kind of figured that out for myself at this point, thank you very much." A chuckle can be heard, and as Nixie closes her eyes tight, trying to clear out the fuzz in her head, she asks, "What… what are you doing with them?" "At the moment? Just keeping the comfortable."

Nixie tosses her head around to glare in the general direction of the voice, and he chuckles again before saying, "Your skepticism on that point is understandable. But there really is no point in torturing them. They won't give up Derek. The werewolf instinct to protect their alpha is too strong."

She glances back at the blurs that are Erica and Boyd, and then back at the figure standing near what she thinks is the stairs. "Okay. So why the hell are they still here? And why the hell am I here? Because I'm not giving up Derek either. And at this point, I actually couldn't tell you where he is even if I did want to. So I'm useless in that respect." "Oh, I don't know about that my dear."

Hands grab her and drag her up off the floor, only to slam her down on a nearby table. Her hands end up tied down on either side, loosely at this point since she still can't really fight due to the electrical shock. Then several figures, all wearing masks, move to stand around her.

Then the voice says again, "You may call them your boys all the time, but I don't doubt for a second that they very much consider you to be their girl. And I think it would send a pretty clear message… to see their girl broken and bleeding. Enough of a message that Scott will have no choice but to give Derek up. Now, how does that sound?" Nixie glares at the fuzzy figures around her, and then says, "Pretty good actually. Except for one flaw in your plan." "And what, exactly, is that?"

He is surprised, when in spite of the electric shock and the lack of control in her limbs, Nixie still manages to lean up off the table towards him. Grinning, she says, "I don't break. I bend. I could join the freaking circus with how freaking bendy I can be." "Well, I guess we'll just have to test that theory then, won't we?"

The knife that comes down on her chest doesn't actually penetrate through her skin or her shirt yet. It's just there, letting her know what it is. Then the voice says, "I've been training with my knives and blades since I was a teenager. I know the exact amount of pressure to apply to break the skin. And I know exactly how deep I can make a cut so that it will still hurt immensely, but so you still won't die from it. Even if you wanted to."

That's when the blade pierces her skin. From right beneath the center of her chest, it cuts up, and then curves to the right just a little and continues up until it reaches her collar. She can feel the blood pooling out and soaking into her shirt. She can hear Erica and Boyd screaming at the men from beneath their gags.

The pain… the pain is awful. It truly is.

But compared to what Peter had already done to her earlier in the year… it was child's play. Which is why she's able to lock her teeth together and not scream. She groans once, when the knife digs in at the stopping point of her collar bone… but other than that, she remains silent.

"Well, I guess we can see that steel isn't going to work. I've known grown men who turn into blubbering babies when cut like that. You are correct, my dear. You are rather bendy. But… let's try another approach shall we?"

Something jabs into her side hard, and Nixie's eyes burst wide open, even though she still can't see clearly. The electric shock that the tazor, or whatever it was, sent through her system was just as bad, if not worse than when she'd grabbed the wires around Erica's wrists.

Nixie can take a lot. Everyone knows that. And she can get knocked down and come back up swinging like she never even hit the ground in the first place. She was a fighter, a warrior… and there were a lot of things that she could take and then simply run right over and then keep on trucking after.

But electricity proof? No, Nixie is not that. And the only reason she doesn't scream from this is because with every shock, her jaw ends up locked tightly in place.

Turns out that was a helpful thing though. They only did it five times before quitting. Nixie could feel her eyes rolling back in her head, unconsciousness about to take over. Something pressed against the new wound on her chest, probably attempting to hurt her further, but Nixie was beyond being able to respond to anything at this point.

She managed to hear a voice say, "Well… I suppose we'll come back later and see if we can try something else. For now… we have more important things to attend to."

As soon as they're gone, Nixie tries to assure Erica and Boyd that she's alright, that everything is going to be fine. But that's when her world officially goes black, and she passes out on the table.

* * *

"What the hell is this?"

Stiles agrees with Scott's question completely. That being said… they still didn't have time for this right now. Nixie was missing, possibly being hurt, and they were still just standing here… talking… not doing anything to go and actually find her.

Derek looks over at the more spastic and ADD looking Stiles then usual, but then turns back to Scott and says, "You know, I thought the same thing when I saw you talking to Gerard at the sheriff's station."

Stiles blinks at that, focusing again for a moment, and he asks Scott, "Dude, you talked to Gerard? What…" "I'll explain in more detail later." Back to Derek, Scott briefly explains, "He threatened to kill my mom. And I had to get close to him. What was I supposed to do?"

Ironically enough, it was Peter who ended up backing Scott up, saying, "I'm gonna go with Scott on this one. Have you seen his mom? She's gorgeous."

Everyone, even Isaac, since he can see that Scott really doesn't like this guy, says at the same time, "Shut up!"

Then Isaac leans closer to Scott and asks, "Who is he?" Scott glares at Peter and says, "He's Peter. Derek's uncle. Little while back he tried to kill us all, and then we set him on fire and Derek slashed his throat." As Peter waves 'hi' at Isaac, the younger werewolf comments, "That's good to know."

Scott looks back to Derek and asks, "How is he alive?" "Look, the short version is that he knows how to stop Jackson. Maybe even how to save him." Isaac shrugs and says, "Well, that's very helpful, except Jackson's dead."

Stiles watches as both Peter's and Derek's face draw up in confusion and Derek asks, "Wait, what?" Scott nods and says, "Yeah, he's dead. It just happened on the field."

When neither Derek or Peter look thrilled about that, Stiles steps in and asks, "Okay, someone explain the faces, alright. Why is no one taking this as good news?" Peter sighs, and though they're all loath to listen to him, they let him talk as he says, "Because if Jackson is dead, then it didn't just happen. Gerard wanted it to happen."

Derek nods and asks, "But why?" Peter grins a little and says, "Well, that's exactly what we need to figure out. And something tells me the window of opportunity is closing. Quickly. So… I suggest we find the other smart one, aside from Stiles, and get cracking on exactly what else it is that Gerard wants. Where is the little spitfire anyway? Isn't she usually attached to one of you two boys at the hip?"

For the first time, Derek realizes that Peter is right. Nixie isn't there among them, sharing in the conversation. Though at first, he suggests, "She's probably taking care of Lydia… right?"

Stiles grits his teeth for a moment, trying to keep himself in check, and then says, "No. She's not. And the short version for us… Nixie's been captured and taken hostage. By Gerard. We don't know why or where to. And every second we waste continuing to talk to you two, is another second we aren't out there finding her!"

Back to Scott, he says, "Dude, we have to go. We need to find her."

* * *

When Chris enters Alison's room, seeing Gerard there with her, both of them conferring secretly within the walls of his house, it finally comes full circle and hits him. He wasn't in control anymore. Maybe he never was.

The game had changed right in front of him, and only now could he see it. His father was up to something… more than he had ever let on. And Chris was clueless as to what it was, or how he was going to find out. And when he questions Gerard about the game, all the man tells him is that they won.

Stepping in further, Chris waits for Alison to address him. And as usual, as of late, she speaks in a clipped and annoyed tone as she asks, "You need something?" "I want you to take a step back and let us handle this." "You're kidding right?"

Chris steps closer and says, "One of your friends is dead." "Because of Derek, dad. Seriously, how do you think Jackson became that thing in the first place? Kate. Mom. Jackson. It all comes back to Derek." Grasping at straws now, Chris asks, "What about Scott? What if he dies too?" "Since when did you care about Scott?"

But there is a slight shift in her mood, like Alison remembered the old her at the mention of Scott. So Chris pressed it and asks, "And Nixie? What about her?" "Since when do either of them matter so much to you?" "I let Scott live because of you. And Nixie has always mattered to me. And she's your friend."

Alison pauses at that, and then says, "Was. She was my friend. You heard her dad. You saw it. She took my number out of her phone."

And yes… Chris does remember that. He remembers Nixie's attitude when she'd come to the door. It wasn't the usual sarcastic or outgoing flare that he was used to. She wasn't even glaring or threatening. She simply asked to see Alison… demanded it when he tried to talk to her first. And then when Alison came down… Nixie's face turned to one of resignation. She'd taken her number out of Alison's contacts, and said to find her again when the old Alison was back.

Nixie had known with a look. Somehow, it had taken Chris longer to see. But Nixie was right. His Alison was gone, and slowly slipping even further away.

And it was all Gerard's fault. He was twisting his way into her head… the same way he had with Kate. The same way he had with a lot of people actually.

Coming back to Alison, he says, "Look. I care about you. And I'm worried about you. It's…" Alison scoffs though and says, "Really dad? If you're going to start quoting from the list of the top five things a parent should say to their child every day, why don't you start with… 'I'm proud of you' because I am doing exactly what you wanted."

But Chris shakes his head even as Alison walks away from him and says, "No, Alison. You're doing exactly what he wants. We all are."

Except Scott, Nixie, and Stiles. Chris needed to find them. And he needed to work on finding them fast so he could help them with… well, whatever they had planned. He knows they have to have one. He can help them perfect it, fine-tune it… whatever he can do to help them, he will.

Alison, from her bed, says, "I'm tired. I really just wanna pass out, okay? And don't forget, you owe me a new bow."

At the slicing sound at her desk, Alison jerks her head to look at him again.

Decided in what he's going to try to do, Chris figures he might as well get a start on slowing Alison down now. He'd taken a pair of shear scissors and sliced the string on the crossbow. Holding it up for her to see from behind him, useless now, he says, "And a new crossbow."

Meanwhile, in the basement, Nixie groans as she finally opens her eyes and wakes up. The light still shining above her eyes is blinding at first… but at least the world starts coming into focus again. Then she tries to move, and remembers that she was jolted with hundreds of volts of electricity off and on a few times, and that there's also a deep wound on her chest.

Deep enough to ache, but not enough to kill her. She distinctly remembers that part. And since she isn't dying yet…

Nixie rolls her eyes at herself and says, "For crap's sake. Get over it." Then she hears Boyd and Erica's muffled voices again, and as she tries to roll herself to sit up, that's when she remembers that her wrists were tied to the table on either side of her.

Loosely though. She doubts they were expecting her to wake up this soon, or maybe at all at this point. Tugging at the restraints, feeling the ropes on her skin shifting and giving a little bit, she closes her eyes and says, "I'm fine guys. Just… give me a minute."

She focuses on her right hand, since it's her dominant, and shifts and twists it, until finally, with a final sharp tug, she jerks that hand free of the rope. In her own opinion though, it took entirely too long to make happen.

Erica and Boyd seem happy though, as she rolls to her left and stands up from the table. Untying her left wrist was a cinch after that. Rolling her arms to get the feeling back in them, she does a mental check on the rest of her body. Her chest was the main concern, aching rather pronouncedly. And though the rest of her was definitely sore and hurt, everything still appeared to be functioning. And she didn't feel like she'd lost any brain cells over what had happened to her, so that was good news… though she may need to test that with a few pop quizzes somehow along the way. But later. She'll get to that later.

Turning back to Boyd and Erica, still hanging from the ceiling, Nixie walks up and as gently as she can, pulls the tape from their mouths. Erica sighs, and then says, "You have to leave. You have to…" "Oh be quiet."

But Boyd nods along with Erica and says, "Just go. We'll be alright. He can't hurt you again though. You can't…" "Hey!" They both shut up and look at her. And yeah, she was bleeding and looked a little worse for wear… but her eyes were still sharp and piercing. And right now, she was looking at them like they were both huge idiots.

As though to prove that point, she says, "Don't be idiots, you dumbasses. I'm not leaving here without you guys. Just… just give me a minute."

Touching the wires again was out of the question. Even if she could find some tool or some gloves to use so she didn't get shocked again, she wasn't sure she wanted to brave reaching for them again. So instead, she follows the wires up to the ceiling with her eyes, and then traces them to their point of origin.

It actually takes a while. The wiring set up in the house is not exactly what Nixie would call 'up to code'. But eventually, she finds the fuse box on the ground underneath a table, hidden from anyone who didn't already know it was there.

Pulling it out, she turns the knob to zero, and then glances back at Boyd and Erica to see if anything changed.

Sure enough, a huge sense of relief floods through them. Nixie then waits at the table she'd been strapped to, and after a few more minutes, Boyd and Erica are able to break themselves free of the wires on their own. Smiling gently at both of them, Nixie then says, "Okay. You two go out the window right there." "What about you?"

Nixie looks to Boyd, and then says, "I'll be alright. I'll go after you guys. I want to grab a few things first. And… Boyd… if I could borrow your shirt. That would be great."

He shrugs out of his jacket and then his shirt and hands it to her, but then asks, "What about your chest? Should we get to Scott and tell…" "Do not tell anyone about it? Understand?"

When they both look at her in confusion, Nixie says, "It's a message… _I'm_ supposed to be a message. One that says Gerard can get to any of us and hurt us all and destroy us right under Scott's nose if he wants to. And I am not going to be that message. So you tell no one. I'm not dying. Whoever did this said that I wouldn't. I'll bandage it up, and then it'll be fine in a few weeks."

Giving them both stern looks, she says, "Don't tell anyone. Got it?" When they both finally nod at her, Nixie hugs them both, and then says," Good. Now go. Go wherever it is you were planning on going, and don't you dare stop and get caught again."

They leave out the tiny half window as quickly and quietly as they can. Then, after they're gone, Nixie sighs and turns to look around the room.

A house full of hunters… she'd been prepared before she'd even cut the lights on the first time to see the stacks upon stacks of weapons. That being said… it was a house full of hunters… where casualties had to be expected.

So Nixie hunts around for a first aid kit of some sort. Finally finding it, a huge medical bag near the back of the room, she brings it back to the table she'd been on and starts pulling out what she needs. Gauze, peroxide, needle and thread, and then bandage and tape.

It takes more time then she'd like to clean the wound. Looking in the mirror on one side of the room, she also notes while she's working that V-necks won't be an impossible thing to wear… just so long as they're not like Lydia's or Erica's V-necks. The curve to the wound can still be hidden behind a decent shirt, so long as she's not looking to flash anybody a boob in the near future. And since she's not… she decides that she can work with this… even in the summer.

She's just finally gotten the bandage all taped on and secure, when she hears the door open. Keeping her back to the stairs, she tosses her old and cut up and bloodied shirt into a nearby trashcan, and then reaches for the gun on the table.

Nixie had never been one to use weapons before. That being said, she wasn't opposed to them either. So amidst bandaging herself up, she'd grabbed one of the silver Winchester pistols from its case and brought it with her to have in case someone came down before she'd left. It was the same type Chris had handed her the night she'd been helping Scott chase the kanima.

Standing still and quiet, braced for whoever it is that might come at her again, she pauses for a moment when she hears Chris' voice ask, "Nixie?"

The genuine shock in his tone was enough to confirm that he'd had no idea she'd been down here. But Nixie turns just her head to look at him anyway, wanting to see in his eyes if that was true.

And it was. The shock on his face, in his eyes, is so apparent and overtaking that it wasn't possible for it to be fake.

Turning to face mirror again, hoping Chris can't manage to see the bandage while he's still focused on looking at just her, she grabs the shirt Boyd had left her and asks, "What's up Chris?"

He stares at her in even more shock for a moment. The tone was Nixie… the same one that was usually associated with her. Sarcastic… but still calm most of the time.

But though he doesn't see the wound she was trying so hard to hide on her chest, he didn't miss the burn marks on her side before she slid the shirt down all the way. Coming closer, he says, "I… I saw the lights flicker earlier. That… that was…"

Nixie turns to face him, gun in hand again, and says, "Yeah. The people you work for are real assholes." When Chris doesn't look stunned by that statement, Nixie adds, "But you know that now… don't you."

Chris nods after a moment, and then he asks, "How many times?" "I don't know. I wasn't exactly in a counting type of mood at the time." Sighing, she then adds, "Is it safe for me to walk out the front door. Cause that would be kind of great at this point since I'm not in the mood to shimmy out a window."

Chris glances at the wires from the ceiling, and then asks, "And Erica and Boyd?" "Gone. Long gone. At least by an hour."

Okay, so it hadn't been an hour. And judging from the look Chris gives her… he knows there was no way it had been that long either. But he doesn't argue with or contest her statement. Instead, he simply glances down at the gun she's holding, and then marches past her to the cases again. He grabs a couple guns for himself, a few more clips, and then pulls two more out for Nixie's gun. Handing them to her, he says, "Keep those close." "Sure."

He leads her up the stairs, and after checking to see that no one else was around, led her to the garage and then out to his SUV.

It's not lost on him that Nixie wraps an arm around her stomach and side constantly, as though she could occasionally still feel the shocks going through her body. But other than that, she gave nothing away.

Pulling out onto the road, he asks, "Where can I take you?"

Nixie reaches into her pocket for her phone, only to discover what Gerard and his men probably already knew would happen. Sighing and dropping the phone out the window, she says, "Take me to Stiles house. Good a place as any to start right now." "You wanna try my phone?" "No thanks."

Chris pockets it again, and then smiles in understanding when Nixie says, "Don't be offended by that either. It's just… I doubt they'd answer you right now. And sure… I'd be the one calling… but they wouldn't know that, since I can't use my phone." "It's alright, I get it."

And as they're driving down the road, Nixie then asks softly, "What were you coming to the basement for anyway?" He glances over at her, and then says, "I was coming to let Erica and Boyd out. And I understand if you don't believe me when I say that. Given everything that's been going on lately… I get it. But that's what I was doing." "Why?"

He takes a moment to think about that, and then says, "You know how they were hooked up to the electricity?" "Yeah." "My family has been doing things like this for a long time. Long enough to learn how, at a certain level of electric current, it'll keep a werewolf from transforming. At another level, they can't heal. A few amps higher than that, and they have no heightened strength. And it's that kind of scientific accuracy that makes you wonder where the line between the natural and the supernatural really exists."

He pauses for a moment, and then says in a bit of a sad voice, "It's when lines like that blur… you sometimes find yourself surprised by which side you end up on."

Silence reigns for a moment, and then Nixie replies just as softly, "Thanks Chris." "For what?"

And he can't help but smile and chuckle when Nixie says, "For being a decent person with the last name Argent. I was this close to giving up on the whole lot of you. And I don't know why you're laughing. I'm dead serious." But from the grin on her own face, Chris doesn't think she really is.

* * *

"Sorry, I didn't have any tissues."

Stiles and Lydia are sitting in his room. She'd come over earlier, upset and crying. Partly because of Jackson, and how they wouldn't let her see the body. And Stiles would, quite honestly, maybe be hurt by how much she wanted to see Jackson… if he didn't know that Nixie would be reacting the exact same way if it had been him or Scott.

But Lydia was also upset because Nixie wasn't answering her phone. Lydia had called her at least twice as many times as Nixie had called her the night she'd gone missing and helped raise Peter from the dead. And Nixie always answered. Always. Even if it was just in a text, she answered.

Stiles told her that Nixie was missing, and how Scott, Isaac, and Derek were trying to help look for her. He promised to give her more details on how and why later, when they weren't shit-deep in problems of the supernatural kind. So instead of asking about any of that, Lydia asked what he was doing here instead of looking for Nixie. Stiles had sighed and explained, "They needed me to do research on what the hell might be going on. You know… like why Gerard made Jackson stab himself in the stomach."

A little insensitive maybe… but Lydia got the picture. And given that no one else had yet taken the time to learn any archaic Latin, Lydia was prepared to help him if she could.

That's when they both froze for a second before turning to look at the door when Nixie suddenly said, "Oh good. You're both here. Someone fill me in. What's been happening?"

Lydia stares at her for a moment, and then says softly, "You… you didn't answer…"

Stiles scrambles off of the edge of his bed, tripping and falling into the floor for a moment before scrambling back to his feet and then straight to Nixie.

The fact that he nearly knocks her back into the wall across the hall tells him just how exhausted and tired she must be. She was usually a lot better about holding her own, especially against him since she was used to him and, more often than not, braced for him. But not tonight.

He holds her so tight, Nixie briefly worries about the gash on her chest. She'd stitched it up good and the bandage would hold, but she'd still rather it didn't bleed anymore.

But she didn't stop him. If anything, she held him back just as tightly. Sighing against him, she asks, "Are you alright?" Am I alright?! Nixie?! I wasn't kidnapped! You were!" But when she pulls back and sees his bruised face, she frowns deeply and asks, "Who did that?" "Nixie, stop it. Just stop it. Tell me about you. Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

She can't exactly say no. Then she'd have no good way of explaining how she escaped. But she most definitely wasn't telling them about the gash on her chest. And she wasn't exactly interested in telling them about the involuntary session of electro-shock therapy she'd had to go through.

So instead, she sighs and says, "They roughed me up a bit. Managed to knock me out for a while. I think they figured I would stay passed out for a really long time. Proved them wrong, woke up, broke free, and here I am. Ready to help kick Gerard's ass, wherever it is. So… where's Scott and Isaac? Are they…"

Stiles runs a hand over his head and says, "Nixie… it seems ridiculous, but you have missed a lot, actually." "Alright, fill me in." "I will. But first, have you seen dad?" "No. Why? Is something wrong with him now too?! Who the hell hurt him?! I'll…" Stiles shushes her and says, "No, he's fine. Just… just hold on a second. Dad? Dad?!"

Stiles hurries off to find his dad, wherever he is in the house. Nixie then turns to Lydia in the room, and she asks, "How are you holding up?" Lydia stands up and walks over to her, hugging her tightly before saying, "Compared to you, I'm sure I'm fine." "Stiles is over reacting. I'm fine." "You were beaten up and knocked unconscious!" "And I'll get over it."

Hugging Lydia back, Nixie says, "Sorry I didn't answer you. They destroyed my phone. I'll have to save up some money for a new one. Which, by the way, in the meantime, could you maybe text Scott or Isaac and tell them that I'm found so they can stop looking for me." "Yeah, sure thing."

As Lydia starts texting, Nixie feels a hand land on her shoulder. Turning around and seeing Noah standing there, Nixie smiles a little and says, "Hey Noah." He stares at her hard for a moment, and then asks, "Who did it? Who took you?" "I don't know Noah. I really don't, or I'd tell you. It was too dark and I couldn't see anything." "Nixie…" "I really don't know Noah."

He stares at her hard for a moment longer, and then yanks her forward and wraps her in his arms. Sighing against her shoulder, he says, "Do not ever do this to me again. Either of you. I may not be young anymore, but I'm not old enough to be having a heart attack yet."

Stiles nods, and then chuckles as Nixie says, "Oh, come on Noah. We all know you're in your prime." He grins at her, and then kisses the top of her head for a long moment, before sighing and says, "Alright. I need to go call off the APB. Don't go anywhere. Alright?" "Sure. Might need to go help Scott later, but right now, I'm not going anywhere." "Good."

After he's gone, Nixie spins to look at Stiles and Lydia and asks, "He put an APB out on me? What the hell all did I miss?" Stiles sighs and says, "Well… and don't freak out about anything until we're finished."

Nixie nods that she'll keep it together, and then Stiles says, "Um… Jackson killed himself apparently. Peter is back. He somehow had mind control over Lydia and made her do that. Ew, by the way. Um… oh, Alison is being a real bitch and is totally doing everything Gerard wants her to. And…"

Lydia shrugs after a moment and says, "So… you didn't actually miss a whole lot. You just missed a lot of really big stuff."

Nixie is eerily quiet for a moment, and then says, "Okay… the Alison thing, that I knew." Then she holds out her hands and says, "To everything else, I say this. What the actual hell?!" Stiles nods and says, "Yeah. That was me and Scott's first reaction too. Exact same." "How is Peter…" Stiles holds up a hand and says, "Not sure. Right now, not what we're most worried about." "Right… so… if Jackson's dead…"

Nixie knows Gerard wants the bite, to cure himself of whatever illness ailed him, for sure, but also to become an alpha. Even though he hadn't told Scott that… Scott knew. Scott could smell the death on Gerard just like he could smell it on the dogs at the clinic. The man was dying, and he wanted a way out. And Derek was going to be his way of doing it.

That being said… she's not sure how making Jackson kill himself helps him at all. Without the kanima… he doesn't have nearly as much sway over Scott or anything he does. So… why in the hell would he do that?"

Lydia and Stiles' phones go off, and Lydia gasps before saying, "He's… he's not dead? But…"

Nixie comes over, reading the text Scott sent. Apparently, Jackson's body was being wrapped in some sort of paralytic toxin cocoon. Go figure.

Grabbing Stiles phone, Nixie first calls Scott, and then says, "I'm putting you on speaker, and I'm calling Derek. We're going to three-way this thing. Got me?" "Got it. Damn it's good to hear your voice again. Why didn't you call?" "I currently no longer have a phone. I will remedy that as soon as possible. Until then… well, I'll work it out later. Anyways, calling Derek now."

As soon as she has Derek on the line as well, they all agree wholeheartedly on the fact that they're glad Nixie is okay. Nixie then says, "Alright Scott. Explain the thing about Jackson."

When Scott describes it again for all of them, Nixie hears Peter on the other end say, 'That sounds officially terrifying." "No shit dumbass." Peter grins and says, "She still doesn't like me, does she?" Derek glares and says, "Probably never will. Stay on topic." Then Scott adds, "Also, he's starting to move some."

And though Nixie does and will probably always still hate the man, she stays quiet and listens when Peter says, "Okay, I think I've found something. According to this… it looks like what you've been seeing from Jackson is just the kanima's beta shape."

Frowning, Nixie asks, "Meaning what? That he can actually turn into something bigger?" Silence for a moment, and then Nixie hears that even Peter's voice sounds worried when he says, "Bigger and badder." And then Derek adds in, "He's turning into that? That has wings." "Yes, I can see that Derek."

Nixie sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose and saying, "Getting over that Jackson is apparently turning into something infinitely more creepy and terrifying than the thing he already is… what are we going to do about it?" A pause, and then Derek says, "Scott needs to bring Jackson to us."

On Scott's end, with Jackson wriggling around inside the body bag, he says, "Yeah, I'm not sure we have time for that. I'm not even sure he'll fit in my mom's car."

Peter's voice again says, "Oh look, someone actually made an animation of it. Maybe it's less terrifying if we…"

The horrific screeching sound on the other end of the phone does not sound promising, and Nixie can hear a laptop being closed before Peter says, "Nope. Not less scary at all. Derek, you should probably meet them halfway."

Nodding, Derek says, "Scott, move now. Go now. We'll meet down by the old dock and pier." Scott says, "I'll try. But I'm still not sure if…"

Nixie leans closer to the phone and says, "Scott, call Chris. He's got the SUV and he can come and get you." "Chris? Alison's dad? Nix, are you sure…"

Derek cuts Scott off and says, "He's a hunter. We can't…" Nixie huffs and says, "Be quiet, all of you. I am not in the mood to be argued with. Derek… get over yourself and for once just trust and listen to me. Chris is on our side right now. If for no other reason than because he sees you and us as the lesser of two evils in his mind, he is on our side. He wants to stop Gerard, and he wants to get Alison back. Scott, call Chris and tell him what you need. He will come and get you and take you where you need to go."

Scott says, "On it," and hangs up immediately. Derek stays on a moment longer, and then says, "It's good that you're back Nixie." "Of course it is. In case you haven't noticed, I'm quite wonderful to have around."

After hanging up, Lydia asks, "What are we going to do?" Nixie raises an eyebrow and says, "We're going to meet them obviously."

And then Noah hollers up, "I've got some pizza down here you guys. Come on down and eat something."

Sighing, Nixie then adds, "After we placate Noah and convince him we need to leave to help Scott. Or something… is there a better excuse we can use or…"

Stiles snaps his fingers and says, "Your bike! It's still at the school. We can say we need to go get it so no one steals it or something." "Stiles, you're brilliant. Alright. Let's get to placating so we can get the hell out of here. Consequently, when this is all said and done, can we stop by and get my bike. Because it would really suck if it got stolen. Like… I think I might actually cry."

* * *

As they're eating pizza, it's not lost on Nixie that, though Stiles had kept a brave face this whole time, and is more than willing to follow her to meet Scott tonight… he's still shaken. Being beaten up… her being kidnapped in his place… not to mention the incident at the police station was still something Stiles hadn't officially come to terms with yet.

Stiles wants to help. Hell… he needs to help. But… he feels like he can't.

Noah notices it too. And though obviously not privy to the supernatural aspects of what they're dealing with, says, "Look, Stiles, I know that… being beaten up… and what's happened with Jackson… and with Nixie being taken after you by whatever assholes took her… I know it's all got you pretty shaken up. All of you, for that matter."

They all nod, and then Noah puts a hand on Stiles shoulder and says, "But you can be happy about one thing."

When Stiles looks at him wonderingly, Noah grins and says, "The game. You were amazing Stiles." "Thanks dad." And then he turns to look at Nixie when she bumps his shoulder lightly with her fist. Raising an eyebrow at him, she says, "You don't sound like you believe him. I saw it too. And you were awesome. You were freaking flying down the field. It was great!"

Stiles grins again, and Noah says, "She's right. I mean, the game was pretty much over. And then you got the ball, and you just started running. And then you scored. And you scored again… and again." Stiles chuckles a little at that, and Noah squeezes his shoulder again before saying, "You weren't just the MVP of the game. You were a hero."

Now, at that, Stiles shakes his head and says, "I'm not a hero, dad." "You were last night." And then they all laugh when Nixie says, "What are you talking about? He's a hero every day. Half the reason I don't punch half the people I threaten all the time is because Stiles asks me not to. Do you know how much detention I'd have without you and Scott to keep me in check? Literally saving my ass… all the time."

Noah high-fives her across the table, and then sighs and says, "Alright. I'm gonna turn in. Are you sure you need to go get Nixie's bike tonight?" Nixie nods and says, "And I know you don't want us to go, but I really don't feel comfortable leaving it there. We'll come back as fast as we can. Scout's honor." Chuckling, Noah says, "Alright. Goodnight guys."

They all wave goodnight to him, and after he's gone, Stiles sighs and says, "I'm not a hero though. Not like Scott. I can't… hell, we can't…"

Nixie moves to the chair next to him, and says, "No, we're not heroes like them. We're not supernatural. We don't have super strength or speed or other senses. We can't do even half of what they can do now." Stiles nods, and then raises an eyebrow and asks, "Is this a pep talk or are you trying to convince me to stay behind?" "Oh, shut up and let me finish."

He grins at her, but then pays attention when she says, "They're in the supernatural box Stiles. That's what they are. And us, we're… we're like the corners of the box. We're a part of their world because we know about it, but we can't actually access the same stuff that they can." Stiles nods in understanding, and then smiles when Nixie says, "So… we just have to think outside of the box. That's all. Find our own way of being awesome and saving lives and helping them to save lives, while we continue to exist on the edges of the supernatural box. In that sense, we're even more important than they are."

Raising an eyebrow again, Stiles asks, "How do you figure that?" "Because they're in the box obviously. They're stuck in it, like it's a box made of ash wood. They can't reach outside of it. That's on us. Seriously, what the hell would they end up doing without us half the time. You said it earlier this semester to Scott, that you didn't know how he would survive without us."

Chuckling, Stiles then reaches over and pulls her in for a hug. Sighing against her, he says, "You really do always know what to say, don't you?" "When it comes to you people, I've got a book full of inspirational shit to say, ready and at my disposal, just for such occasions as this."

Laughing as they stand up and head for the door, Stiles says, "I might need to borrow that sometime."

And he and Lydia both laugh when Nixie says, "You can't do that! Then you'll know it all and I'll have to come up with a whole new book! It took me forever to write the first one! Seriously, why are you people laughing? I'm serious."

* * *

With Alison's throat held in the kanima's hand, Derek wounded and on the ground, and everyone else coming around, Nixie hurriedly says to Stiles, "Shut the jeep off. Now!"

He does as she says, and then watches as she tilts her head to listen for what's going on beyond them. Alison, shocked at this turn of events, asks Gerard, "What are you doing?"

But Scott already knows, and says, "He's doing what he came here to do?" Gerard looks at him with an almost impressed expression, and says, "Then you know."

Alison glances between the two, and then asks, "What's he talking about?" Gerard glances at her, but then grins at Scott and says, "It was that night outside the hospital, wasn't it, when I threatened your mother. I knew I saw something in your eyes. You could smell it, couldn't you?"

And Isaac can too, because he's the one who finally says for everyone to hear, "He's dying." Gerard nods to him, and then says to everyone, "I am. I have been for a while now. And unfortunately, science doesn't have a cure for cancer yet."

Smirking down at Derek, Gerard adds, "But the supernatural does."

When Alison gasps in horror and disgust, Gerard turns to her, and Nixie balls her hand into a fist when the kanima tightens his grip on Alison's throat. Chris, from behind Scott, says, "You monster." Gerard smirks yet again and says, "Not yet."

Alison, the slack given back to her throat again, asks, "What are you doing?"

The kanima tightens his grip again when Gerard thinks it, and Chris takes a step forward and says brokenly, "You'll kill her too?!" Gerard glares at him and says, "When it comes to survival, I'd kill my own son!"

Nixie closes her eyes and grits her teeth, then she takes Stiles phone and shoots a quick text to Chris.

In his pocket, he feels it go off, and as Gerard turns his attention back to Derek and Scott, he looks at his phone. And even though it's Stiles name that pops up, he knows it's Nixie that is saying, _"Trust us."_

Nixie continues watching from her vantage point and listening. And when Scott makes to turn to look at Chris, maybe give him a look of hope, Nixie whispers, "Scott, I need you to hear me now. You can't look hopeful. Not yet. You need to look like you regret everything you're doing right now. And I know, some of it you do… but you can't look at anyone with hope right now. It has to come after. Gerard needs to think he's won… right up to the moment when he finds out he hasn't. Not before Scott. Not before."

Stiles gives Nixie a confused look, as does Lydia in the back seat. But Nixie simply shakes her head, and then sighs when Scott looks away from Chris and follows through on what she said. He looks devastated, torn… but also like he has no choice. Like there is no way out.

Isaac had heard her too, so he doesn't make to interfere when Scott reaches down and drags Derek up off the ground. Derek, though, was in too much pain at the moment to pay attention and listen for Nixie's voice, especially when he didn't know she was there.

Of course, he should've assumed she would arrive. Like Scott had assumed she would.

Begging, Derek says, "Scott… don't. You know he'll kill me right after. He'll be an alpha."

Gerard smirks and chuckles before saying, "That's true. But I think he already knows that, don't you Scott? He knows the ultimate prize is Alison. Do this small task for me, and they can be together. You are the only piece that doesn't fit Derek. And in case you haven't learned yet, there is just no competing with young love."

Nixie grits her teeth again. If the man kept talking about Alison like she was a damn object… a prize… she was going to ruin everything by running over and strangling the man herself.

And then there was Derek, who Scott was having a hard time controlling. Derek was still the alpha. He was getting his strength back, and he was trying to fight.

But then… Derek finally heard her. He heard it this time because she said it in as loud a whisper as she could without alerting any of the humans around. And she said, "Derek, keep fighting. But don't break free. Trust me. Trust Scott. Make it look convincing."

Scott can feel that Derek hears her, because Derek suddenly becomes easier to hold and manage, even if it doesn't look that way to anyone else. Yanking back on Derek's head, forcing his mouth open and his teeth to be exposed, he then waits for Gerard to come forward.

The dying man holds out his right forearm over Derek's mouth. And with a final motion, Scott forces Derek to bite him, and the man yells out in a brief moment of pain.

Nixie watches with Stiles and Lydia as he then sighs and laughs in what he thinks is a victory, and then holds up his arm as though it were a trophy for all to see.

Stiles glances at Nixie, and then asks, "What did we just do? What…" "Look."

He focuses on Gerard's arm again when Nixie points. And though Deaton had assured her that her plan would work… she hadn't exactly known what in particular would happen. For example… the black and ugly and sick looking ooze that was pouring out of the bite mark… that was certainly unexpected.

When Gerard looks down at his arm, frowning in horror and disgust, he then looks up at Scott and asks, "What is this? What did you do?"

Derek is staring at it in surprise as well, but then looks up at Scott, silently asking the same question. Scott simply says, "Everyone said Gerard always had a plan." Looking back at Gerard, grinning now, Scott says, "So did Nixie and I."

Then he thinks on it, and amends, "Well, Nixie really came up with most of it. I just did a lot of the executing of the plan. She was most of the brains behind it." Grinning from within the jeep, Nixie says, "Shut up Scott. It was our plan. Evenly shared. So just shut up."

He grins at her voice, and then watches with everyone else as Gerard reaches into his pocket for the container that always carried his pills.

Scott grins a little more and says, "And you have no idea how long Nixie spent making sure she found and then decorated that container so it looked exactly like your original. She even made sure to create the scuff on the side, so you would never tell the difference."

Gerard dumps the pills into his hand, and then yells, "No!" Crushing them in his palm, he screams, "Mountain ash!"

And then, even though Nixie is happy that Gerard most definitely can't become a werewolf… she leans back in surprise when the black ooze starts pouring out of his ears, nose, the corners of his mouth, and even the corners of his eyes. Stiles leans back too and whispers, "Oh… dear God. That's… that's just gross. So gross."

And then, as Gerard falls to his knees, an entire fountain of that nasty gunk spews from his mouth. Literally… just like a fountain. Closing her eyes and swallowing back the bile in her own throat, Nixie says, "Okay no. That's gross." Stiles nods and says, "Agreed. Way worse. So gross. Oh my God."

Lydia hides her face against the back seat to not look, and says, "Tell me when it's done." And as soon as Gerard falls over on the ground, Nixie pats her hand and says, "Alright. We have to wait for a good moment, okay? Stiles, when I say, crank the jeep." "On it."

Meanwhile Derek, from his position on the ground, looks up at Scott and asks, "Why didn't you tell me? Either of you?" Scott turns to him, and then says, "Because you might be an alpha, but you're not mine. And Nixie has already declared herself to be very firmly placed in my pack. So… yeah."

And then they all jerk around, back to Gerard, when he spits up more gunk and then yells to the kanima, "Kill them! KILL THEM ALL!"

Stiles reaches for the keys, but Nixie stills his hand and says, "Wait." "But…" "He needs to let Alison go first. Wait."

So he waits. Nixie watches as the kanima slowly releases Alison's neck. Gerard is most likely half-dead on the floor, so he doesn't have control of Jackson anymore. Which is probably leaving him very confused right about now.

Alison quickly draws back her elbow and hits him in the face. But as usual, it doesn't faze the kanima much. He grabs her shoulder and shoves her down to the ground behind him.

Tapping Stiles' shoulder, Nixie says, "Go, go, go, go, go!" Stiles cranks it, literally drives through some rather flimsy pieces of plank wood and tarp, and at high-speed, rams into the kanima.

It falls down with a hiss, leaving their sight for a moment. Scott stares at the jeep in shock, as does everyone else. Stiles opens his eyes, having closed them for a moment, and then asks, "Did I get him?!"

And Scott can't help but grin when Nixie slaps his shoulder and says, "Of course you hit him! Not that you would know. Why the hell did you close your eyes?! You're supposed to aim when you're trying to ram into something!" Nixie then turns to look at Scott and then glances down to where Gerard is. Nodding and making a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat, she then says, "So… it worked. We should probably celebrate that later. We could…"

And that's when the kanima jumps back up, literally on the hood of the car. And the scream that leaves Stiles mouth… Nixie would dare say it could rival Lydia's. Seriously. Nixie might hold a contest later.

But for now… she grabs Stiles and hauls him with her out of the jeep, then yanks the seat forward and pulls Lydia out next.

And Nixie would've dragged her over to the others, except Lydia turned back and said, "Jackson!" Nixie grabs her arm and asks, "What are you doing?" "I'm trying to save him!"

Nixie stares at her a moment longer, and then curses under her breath before saying, "You do not come out from behind me. Got it?" "Okay."

Nixie puts her body half in front of Lydia, enough so that if the kanima tries to strike, Nixie can block him. But not so much that the kanima can't see Lydia and tell who she is.

And when Lydia says Jackson's name again, holding up the key that he'd kept asking her to return to him, Jackson actually pauses, eyes locking onto the key.

It was an amazing thing to actually get to watch, as Jackson's body went from being all kanima… to looking like Jackson again. Half of his face was still covered in scales, and he still had claws that he couldn't seem to retract… but they could tell it was Jackson.

And his eyes finally returned to his own… and as he took the key and finally looked up at Lydia, he couldn't stop staring at her for a moment.

Then he looked over at Nixie, and then glanced down at Derek on the floor, who was starting to get back up. Back to Nixie, Jackson nods his head to himself, and then says, "Hold her. Please."

Nixie can see the resolution in his eyes… the final decision having been made. And as Lydia makes to come around her, possibly to try and stop Jackson from doing whatever he was thinking about doing, Nixie turned around faster and wrapped Lydia up in her arms. Holding her tight, Nixie whispers, "It's okay. It'll be okay."

She's not sure how she knows that… or why she thinks that… but she does. Somehow… after all of this… it'll all be okay.

Of course, the sound of both Derek and Peter slicing into Jackson, effectively killing him… did not help make her statement sound anymore true.

When they finally dropped him back to the ground, Nixie finally let go of Lydia, letting her race around to grab Jackson so he didn't fall to the ground.

As Jackson meets Lydia's gaze, he hadn't forgotten their private conversation the night they'd gone to Scott's house. He knows that Lydia and he aren't 'in love' anymore. That being said… Lydia had said, at the time, that she still loved him. She'd used Nixie as her description of it. Lydia loved Jackson, the same way that Nixie loved Scott and Stiles, and even Lydia and Alison.

And as far as Jackson could tell… that was actually a really great thing to have. So before he actually died, he wanted to know…

"Do you… do you still…"

Lydia cut him off and immediately answered, "I do. I do, I do still love and care about you. So much Jackson. I do."

And then he goes down, eyes closing, body falling limp; and as Lydia lays him down, the last of the scales finally leaves his skin. He was Jackson again, totally and completely. So at the very least, they had managed to free him from the grip that the kanima had over him, even if it was just before he died.

Nixie, from behind her, hears Alison ask where Gerard is. Apparently the man had taken off while they'd been dealing with Jackson. But Nixie doesn't pay much attention to that right now. She's focused on Lydia, who is slow to stand up, and slow to turn around.

But when she does, she's quick to run back into Nixie's arms. Holding her tight, sobbing into Nixie's shoulder, Lydia says, "I… I thought… I thought I could save him. I thought…" "You did Lydia. You saved the most important part of him. You saved his soul."

And then, of course, Nixie hears the scraping of sharp claws against the cold hard ground beneath their feet. Opening her eyes and glancing down at Jackson, who's nails now look more like Scott's then the kanima's, she raises an eyebrow and adds, "Okay. And possibly more. Lydia, look!"

Lydia snaps back around, as does everyone, as Jackson's eyes snap open, shining a bright blue. He's slow to rise, his body shifting slightly as he does. But when he does stand back up, he rears his head back and lets out a loud and almost victorious sounding roar.

Which… considering the internal battle he must've been fighting this whole time, Nixie feels he has most definitely earned.

Then his body shifts back to being just Jackson again, and as he gasps in shock and surprise, he smiles when Lydia dashes forward and wraps her arms around him.

It's a beautiful reunion. It really is. And Nixie lets it last that way for a good thirty seconds.

Then, in the spirit of keeping her promise to Noah from earlier, she says, "Okay. So… somebody should get the man a coat. And you know… a lot of other clothes. And then we should all head home. Stiles, I'm obviously going with you, since your dad said I had to stay there tonight for his sanity."

Back to Jackson and Lydia, who are both grinning at her amused, Nixie says, "And you two… we should probably get together and talk. Like a lot. About a whole lot of stuff. Because I don't know what you think you know… but you don't even know the half of it."

Spinning back to Stiles, who has grabbed Chris' jacket and is passing it to Jackson, Nixie asks, "Did I sum it up good enough?" "Yeah, I think so. Not sure what we're gonna do about Gerard though." "Well, it's like Chris said. He can't have gone far. He was sick before we dosed him up with mountain ash and then kicked him in the ass with a werewolf bite. I'll be surprised if he actually manages to crawl his way out of the docks before we find his sorry ass."

When a hand lands on her shoulder, Nixie turns to see Jackson again. Wrapped in the coat, so a little more decent now, he grins and says, "Thank you." "What on earth for? Lydia's the one who saved you." "Yeah. And Lydia stopped me before, and brought me back a few times. But so did you. Or at least… you made it possible for me to stop a few times."

Nixie shrugs after a moment, and then to his shock and everyone else's, she moves in and gives him a hug. And when he tightens his grip on her, she lets him hold on for a few seconds more.

Then she leans back, and at his stunned and smiling face, she says, "Yeah, yeah. Don't get used to all this huggy, happy, friendly type of behavior. I still think you're an ass. And I haven't forgotten how you slammed my head down against the side of the concrete pool. I had a headache for a week. You owe me. And I mean like… in a huge way."

In the jeep again, Nixie and Stiles up front and Jackson and Lydia in the back, she raises an eyebrow when Lydia says, "Stiles, can you take us to town first?" "Sure, why?"

And Nixie rolls her eyes when Lydia says, "Nixie needs a new phone. And I mean ASAP. I don't think any of us will know what to do while she doesn't have one." Stiles smirks and says, "Good plan." Nixie looks at all three of them and says, "I told you I'd work on it. You're not buying me a phone."

Lydia crosses her arms and says, "I can and I am. Besides, I never really got you a birthday present." "That's because you buy me dresses for random occasions all the time, so those are what count." "Yeah, well, I'm adding the phone into it. I need to be able to call you and you need to be able to answer. I'm gonna have questions for like… weeks to come after this." "Yeah, well, I'll schedule you in after and before I help Scott make up the grades in the three classes he failed."

Lydia leans forward to kiss her cheek and says, "Love you too." "Yeah, yeah."

For a while all is silent. Then Jackson says, "So… about owing you hugely." Nixie glances back at him and says, "Jackson, I wasn't serious. You weren't in control. Just forget about that." He nods, but then says, "I do still feel bad about that though… even if I don't remember it." "Look, it's alright. Just…"

"Lydia says you like Clint Eastwood movies." Nixie pauses, and then all three of them grin when Nixie says, "Continue." "We have, like, his entire collection of movies at my house. And nobody ever watches them. You want them?"

And then they all laugh when Nixie says, "Yes, I want them. If for no other reason than to fix that horrible issue about them not being watched. Why the hell do you have Clint Eastwood and then never watch him? It's a crime. And true and horrible crime. If I weren't so happy about getting them all, I'd hit you in the back of the head for blasphemy." She turns back to look at him though. And Jackson can't help but grin and even feel a little pride, when Nixie says, "There may be hope for you yet Jackson. Just a glimmer, mind you. But there may just be."

* * *

A few weeks later, as Stiles and Scott are climbing out of the jeep and onto the field, Stiles asks, "So you really think she's gonna come back to you?"

He helps Nixie out from the backseat, and then deftly dodges the hand she'd had aimed for the back of his head. Grinning at him, Nixie says, "Look at that. You're improving already." "Thanks."

Then she hits him anyway, and says, "And what kind of question is that?" "A legit one. I mean… she's going to France. France, people! France!" Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "We are all acutely aware of what France is and that it's far away. Planes fly out every day Stiles. One from France to California as well as the other way around."

With Jackson on the mend, Lydia more in the know, and Melissa coming to terms with everything that they were able to explain to her as well… life was actually looking up for a change. Derek was told he was allowed to use Nixie's number again, but in no way was he allowed to give that number to Peter.

Needless to say, Derek didn't argue with that. Lydia, after about a week of grilling Nixie and Stiles with all the questions she could possibly ask, and after Nixie and Stiles filled her in on things that she hadn't even had questions about yet, they had finally settled into a more natural rhythm, where they didn't talk about it every second of every day, but rather simply when it happened to come up in conversation, or when a random question would pop into someone's head.

And Alison was Alison again. So before she left, Nixie put her number back in Alison's phone, and told her in no uncertain terms that if anything happened and she didn't call Nixie immediately to tell her, Nixie would hop a plane or a boat to France, just for the sole purpose of slapping Alison in the back of the head.

Some people might call that extreme and get offended. Alison just hugged Nixie so tight that it reminded her of the new wound she was trying to let heal.

And it was healing nicely. With four weeks behind her from that night, she no longer needed the bandage anymore to keep blood from sinking into her clothes. It was still healing over, and would need a couple more weeks at least before Nixie was going to feel comfortable removing the stitches. But all in all, it could've definitely been worse.

On that same day at the airport, as Alison and Nixie had been saying their goodbyes, Chris had finally arrived in his own taxi to come and join them. And at the time, Nixie hadn't understood why Alison and Chris wouldn't just ride together to the airport… like, why were they arriving separately? And why was Chris arriving an hour later than Alison?

The part of the situation where Scott wasn't there to say goodbye, Nixie did understand. Alison and Scott had broken up, and though Alison still did have feelings for him… she didn't want him at the airport. Alison was afraid that Scott might be able to convince her to stay. And she felt… she knew that leaving for a while was just something she needed to do.

But Nixie… Alison had actually requested personally that Nixie please come to the airport to see them off. And Nixie was happy to oblige… though she still didn't understand why Chris was arriving separately.

Until Alison beamed at him eagerly when she saw him carrying a thin square package with him, along with his other suitcases. At which point Alison told Nixie, "Happy Birthday."

The leather jacket… was not what she'd been expecting. When Alison had demanded earlier in the semester to get Nixie something, Nixie had imagined maybe another movie, or a nice shirt, or a blanket since Lydia had mentioned that she knew Nixie didn't have enough at her apartment. But no. Now Nixie has a leather jacket, same as the one Alison had… except this one was tailored specifically for her.

She'd told them it was too much. Chris simply replied that it would never be enough to thank Nixie for helping get Alison back, defeating Gerard, and stopping the kanima.

And because Chris was still very concerned about the fact that Nixie was willing to chase after these things without protection, simply because she'd never really been trained to use weapons… he gave her a gift of his own. The card he handed her belonged to an instructor that he had trained with himself when he was younger. And Chris had already taken care of any expense. The man would work with Nixie around whatever schedule she needed him too, and he would begin teaching her how to use the same type of weapons that Alison used as a hunter.

It was all too much. Nixie said it a million times probably. But neither Alison nor Chris would budge. And to further cement that she did it, Chris told her if they came back and she still hadn't learned to fight with actual weapons, he would begin her training the same way he had Alison's… which he knew she still didn't approve of.

In the end of it all, Nixie finally caved. The jacket was beautiful and felt nice, and it was tailor made just for her. And the lessons… well, those were actually practical and would help her to protect te people she loved even better. So yeah… she ended up accepting them both. And after hugging them goodbye and seeing them onto the plane, Nixie had slipped on her wonderful new jacket, left a message with her new instructor Mr. Mendez, and taken the prepaid cab back home.

And now, here they are. Nixie and Scott had just finished working on a paper for one of his summer classes when Stiles showed up in the jeep, ready and eager to start practicing for lacrosse. He'd done really well at the championship game, which made him want to put in even more effort and get even better.

Hence them being at the lacrosse field in the middle of the summer, even though no one else was out here.

Back to Stiles question about Alison, Scott just grins and says, "Yeah, I know she is." And then he wraps an arm around Nixie when she says, "Confidence. I like it."

Opening the trunk and pulling out the gear, Scott then asks, "What about you and Lydia?" Stiles shrugs and says, "Well, the ten-year plan for making Lydia fall in love with me may have to stretch to fifteen, but the plan is definitely still in motion."

And he wraps an arm around Nixie as well when she says, "I told you. She doesn't love Jackson that way anymore. Are you even listening to me when I tell you these things?" "Of course. I just wanted to see the look on your face when I said I had a fifteen-year plan." "Oh, shut up and get ready to throw the ball. Scott, get ready to kick his ass."

Scott chuckles, and then looks at Stiles and asks, "Why don't you just ask her out?" "Ha! Yeah… why don't you just get in the goal like Nixie said and help me make team captain like you promised there, big guy?"

Nixie rolls her eyes at Scott, letting him know she'd already broached the subject with Stiles before. But, the man had his own plan and his own way of doing things. Who were they to interfere?

As Scott readies himself at the goal while Stiles takes out the balls and his stick, Scott says, "Guys, you know what I just realized? I'm right back where I started." Stiles tilts his head and asks, "What do you mean?" "I mean, no lacrosse, no popularity, no girlfriend. Nothing."

Stiles leans back and says in offense, "Dude, you still got me." And when Nixie slaps him in the back of the head again, he edits, "Us! You still have us! Ow, seriously?" "Yep."

Scott chuckles at them, but then reminds them, "I had you guys before."

Both he and Stiles laugh when Nixie says, "Okay, now I'm just offended. I, on my own, am just wonderful to have around. And Stiles is a wonderfully sarcastic addition to my less sarcastic, but no less witty self. We are the ideal you should strive for keeping Scott. And you still have us. Life fulfilled. You should be grateful and overjoyed and overly content with just us."

Scott raises an eyebrow, but then concedes, "I am. Very." Stiles nods in approval and says, "Good. Now, remember… no wolf powers. And I mean any. Not any of that crap that I know you can pull. None of it. Got me?" "Stiles, would you just take the shot already?"

But as he shoots, Nixie has to cover her mouth to keep from laughing as Scott not only stops the ball, but does an impressive flip in the process of catching the ball. Clearly using some of his wolf enhanced abilities.

And then she can't help it when Stiles bursts out, "I said no wolf powers! Oh, what are you laughing at?"

Nixie just sighs after a moment of catching her breath, and then says, "Oh nothing. I just have a feeling that it's going to be a great summer after all. Don't you?" Stiles grins and says, "It should be. We certainly earned it." "Amen to that. And that's not even the best part."

When both boys look at her to hear what it is, they both fall down laughing at the truly excited expression on her face when she says, "I literally have a different Clint Eastwood movie for us to watch every night this summer! We'll have popcorn, and ice cream… it's going to be great! Why on earth are you people laughing? I'm serious!"

But she's grinning too, and as the boys stand up and get ready to practice again, they can't help but agree with her. It was shaping up to be a wonderful summer.

Let's hope they can keep it that way.

* * *

Ta Da! Chapter 12! And so ends Season 2 of Teen Wolf. So, let me know what you thought of it guys. I always appreciate hearing whether or not you enjoyed the stories.

As stated previously, I probably won't even start working on Season 3 until after the holiday season is over. But rest assured, I have every intention of working on that in due time.

Thank you for taking the time to read and thank you for encouraging me to continue on with these stories. On a side note, I'm considering, possibly, maybe revamping Season 4 a bit. Not really changing the story mind you, for any of you who already read it and are wondering 'why?!' But just maybe adding an extra chapter in the beginning to account for episode 1. And also including maybe a few more details and character... more similar to the way I've been writing the rest of the stories I wrote after Season 4. But again, that's a project for another time. But if you have an opinion on that point, I'd love to hear that as well.

Thanks again you guys! :)


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